Tesla has filed a lawsuit against Australian company Cap-XX in a Texas federal court. The lawsuit alleges that Cap-XX’s supercapacitors, utilized for energy storage in electric-vehicle batteries, violate two U.S. patents owned by a Tesla subsidiary.
This legal action comes as a response to a prior lawsuit initiated by Cap-XX against Tesla subsidiary Maxwell Technologies in 2019, accusing them of patent infringement. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who had previously committed in 2014 to refrain from “initiating patent lawsuits against anyone who, in good faith, wants to use our technology,” stated that this lawsuit is a necessary measure.
Tesla argues that the electrodes employed in Cap-XX’s supercapacitors function in a similar manner to Maxwell’s patented technology. Consequently, Tesla has requested the court to grant unspecified monetary damages.
Meanwhile, Cap-XX continues its ongoing lawsuit in a Delaware federal court, accusing Maxwell Technologies of infringing upon their own supercapacitor patents. The legal battle between these companies underscores the high stakes and intense competition within the electric vehicle industry.