The iCar is still just a rumor, but Apple surely has been showing a lot of interest in EV-related technology, including large-format batteries. This week, the Cupertino computer-maker agreed to settle a lawsuit alleging that it had been showing a little too much interest in engineers working for Massachusetts battery-maker A123.

In February, A123 filed a suit against Apple and five former A123 employees, claiming that, in mid-2014, Apple aggressively poached some of A123’s key engineers, forcing the battery-maker to abandon several critical projects.

“It appears that Apple…is systematically hiring away A123’s high-tech PhD and engineering employees, thereby effectively shutting down various projects/programs at A123,” according to the lawsuit (via Reuters). “They are doing so in an effort to support Apple’s apparent plans to establish a battery division that is similar if not identical to A123’s.”

A123 said it believed Apple was also trying to hire battery engineers from other companies, including LG Chem, Samsung SDI, Panasonic, Toshiba and Johnson Controls.

Source: ChargedEVs