We don't intend to make a habit of writing about every twist and turn in the Tesla vs. Fisker trade secrets lawsuit, but because of the high level of interest in both of the electric car companies thought we ought to let you know that Fisker is seeking to toss the whole thing into arbitration.

That would take the case out of the courtroom, limit public access and likely result in a sealed settlement. It also could save both sides considerable time and, possibly, money.

Tesla would not comment when contacted today.

Southern California-based Fisker Automotive filed its arbitration request Tuesday in a Northern California court, near Tesla Motors Co. headquarters.

A court hearing has been scheduled for June 11.

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Electric car maker Tesla Motors Co. , already eyeing a public offering, said it has appointed a prominent Silicon Valley business attorney to its board.

The new Tesla director, Larry Sonsini, was involved in the initial public offering of Google and the merger of Hewlett-Packard with Compaq.

Tesla executives have said that the company, supported so far by private investment capital, is likely to float a public offering this year or next. Tesla Chairman Elon Musk also has talked about forming a strategic alliance with a major automaker to help facilitate development of a compact, affordable electric or hybrid-electric sedan.

The Northern California company is noted for designing and recently launching production of the $100,000 Tesla Roadster, a battery-powered electric sports car. It also has announced plans to launch a $50,000 electric or hybrid-electric sedan, code-named the White Star, in 2010, with the third vehicle, the compact car, to follow.

All of that takes cash, lots of it.

With the U.S. economy faltering, Tesla has speeded up plans to introduce its roadster in the European market. While the company says that its first year of production for the U.S. is sold out, it is looking ahead and, apparently, hoping demand in Europe will either add profitable new volume or offset any future slackening of U.S. demand.

John O'Dell, Senior Editor

A lightly "disguised" Karma on the test track, in photo provided by the company.

Prototype models of the Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid have exceeded performance expectations in early testing, the companies behind the car said Tuesday.

Fisker Automotive and Quantum Technologies, both located in Irvine, Calif., said that three Karma prototypes have been built and are undergoing electric-powertrain testing at an undisclosed Southern California track that appears to be a leased test site at the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station.

"The vehicle dynamics and fuel economy have performed better than expected and we remain on target for our fourth quarter 2009 initial delivery," Henrik Fisker, CEO of Fisker Automotive, said in a prepared statement.

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Tesla says facility isn't showroom so much as gathering spot for  "members."

By Joanne Helperin, Senior Features Editor

Tesla Motors opened its first U.S. retail outlet this week, on the upscale west side of Los Angeles, home to many of the celebrities, politicos and wealthy greenies who have plunked down a $60,000 deposit for one of the approximately 300 all-electric Tesla roadsters the company says it will produce this year.

Note, please, I didn't call it a call it a dealership – Tesla says it isn't.

"It's a company-owned store, like the Apple store," said General Manager Tom O'Leary.

"In a traditional dealership, there's a clear wall of separation between sales and service. It's a "front of the house, back of the house" thing. It's out of style, like the mullet. We're unifying those two functions."

I'll say. The interior of the service bay, which has three lifts, faces busy Santa Monica Boulevard and can be seen clearly from the street through plate glass windows.

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Plug-in hybrids are seen by many, including Magna, as the next great  frontier.

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Another entry in the plug-in hybrid race, this time from a competitor with really powerful potential.

Magna International, the top-tier Canadian auto parts maker, says it will roll out a plug-in car late next year or in 2010.

So as not to foul relationships with the major automakers that it already supplies with scores of parts, Magna says it won't sell a competing plug-in but will sell them the bits and pieces needed to make their own.

In markets where its customers don't sell cars, though, Magna intends to field a complete plug-in under its own brand.

The company, which reported $26.1 billion in sales and a $663 million net profit last year, is serious about becoming a car maker.

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Ford is among the companies working on plug-in gas-electric hybrids.

In a bid to promote plug-in hybrid development, the University of California's Davis campus is cosponsoring what it calls the world's first international conference on plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

The confab, to be held July 22-24 in San Jose, California, appears to be in response to California's recent endorsement of plug-in technology in the revision of its controversial Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV) Mandate.

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He waited almost two weeks, but Fisker Automotive's Henrik Fisker finally has responded to a lawsuit by electric roadster maker Tesla Motors that accuses him of stealing company secrets.

Didn't do it, he says in a press release issued this morning. Specifically, he called the Tesla suit "nonsense."

We said when Tesla filed its suits last week that it looked like the opening of a new era as formerly cooperative EV developers finally see a market opportunity and begin battling one another for a piece of the pie.

That's born out in Fisker's response to the suit, which doesn't open with the denial but instead with the statement that his company "is on track for delivery of the Fisker Karma" in the fourth quarter of next year.

Only after getting in that little bit of marketing news did Fisker acknowledge and respond to Tesla's suit.

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Venturi says it has 300-horsepower electric motor for next-generation Fetish.

By Nick Kurczewski, Contributor

An alternative energy system that was supposed to save the world via left brained logic and efficiency is being reinvigorated by a good old-fashioned horsepower war.

Boutique companies building electric sports cars are grabbing the EV world's limelight as they up the power, reliability and range of their vehicles at breakneck speed.

Unlike major car manufacturers that quake at the huge initial development costs needed to build an electric vehicle, these smaller outfits have no qualms about passing costs on to the consumer.

Limited production, outrageous looks and massive performance give this new breed of electric sports car the market cache needed to justify nosebleed prices.

Set to arrive in early 2009, the British-built Lightning GT will reportedly offer more than 700 horsepower thanks to its four 120 kW motors, one located at each wheel.

If you want to get on the waiting list, get ready to fork over a deposit of $30,000 – a mere fraction of the car’s $300,000 price-tag.

In comparison, the American-made Tesla Roadster seems a steal at only about $100,000. The Tesla is on sale right now, but high demand and limited production means that 2009 is likely the earliest you can put one in your garage.

Compared to the Lightning, the Tesla offers a relatively mild 280 hp. However, this is more than enough to propel the car to 60 miles per hour in under 4 seconds.

Monaco-based Venturi Automobiles is the latest company to lob a high-powered salvo into this tiny automotive niche.

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Think City EVs like this model at recent event in  Monaco are headed for U.S.

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Think is back, part of an apparent resurgence of interest in battery-powered electric cars.

The Norwegian electric car maker, once owned by Ford and headquartered, briefly, in Southern California, has announced formation of Think North America with plans to begin selling a sub-$25,000 EV in the U.S. in 2010.

Think Global Chief Executive Jan-Olaf Willums hinted at the company's North American plans in an interview last month with Green Car Advisor.

On Monday, the plan was rolled out, revealing that Think is partnering with two major venture capital firms to form the new subsidiary.

The move signals a new level of interest in battery-powered electric cars, once thought to be the vehicles that would help free the U.S. from its dependency on oil but abandoned by regulators and major automakers in the late 1900s as impractical because of cost and between-charge range restrictions.

Soaring fuel prices, growing concerns about energy security and advances in storage battery technology have helped reignite interest in EVs.

Think North America will be a joint venture of Think Global and venture firms Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and RockPort Capital Partners. Each of the venture firms will hold a 25 percent share and Kleiner Perkins managing partner Ray Lane will chair the new company.

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Henrik Fisker, showing concept car to prospective investors earlier this year.

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

The once-collegial world of alternative-fuel automobiles seems to be entering a new and highly competitive phase as interest in hybrids and electric vehicles grows.

The latest sign that the era of cooperation is ending came Monday as Tesla Motors, maker of the only highway-capable production electric car for sale in the United States, filed a lawsuit against competitor Fisker Automotive, its chief executive, Henrik Fisker,  its chief operating officer, Bernhard Koehler, and their design company, Fisker Coachbuild, for allegedly stealing some of Tesla's design ideas and trade secrets.

A spokesman for Fisker Automotive said today that the company had "no comment at this time."

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