The Boston Globe reports Apple and A123 Systems are close to reaching a settlement in their ongoing battery engineer poaching lawsuit. Advanced battery maker A123 Systems originally filed suit in February, charging Apple had poached key battery engineering employees for its own automotive team.
Boston Globe, via MacRumors:
“On Tuesday, a federal judge granted A123 more time to finalize the settlement with Apple,” reports The Boston Globe. “In a court filing, the two sides reported that they ‘have reached an agreement, signed a term sheet, and are in the process of drafting a final settlement agreement.'”
Apple is rumored to be assembling an automotive team made up of former employees from Tesla, Ford and GM, as well as A123 Systems, MIT Motorsports, Ogin, Autoliv, Concept Systems and General Dynamics. The team is reportedly working on an automotive-related project, although reports of such projects have yet to be confirmed.
Apple reportedly has a automotive research lab located near its Cupertino, California campus, with research believed to still be in the early stages of development.
Sightings of camera-equipped Dodge Caravan vehicles leased to Apple began in California earlier this year, along with sightings of similar vehicles in New York last summer, leading to rumors of Apple’s automotive projects. MacRumors reports that to date, there have been over 30 sightings spanning Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Nevada, New York and Texas.
