Tesla is turning to the courts in an effort to prevent what it says could become a disruption to Cybertruck production, alleging one of its suppliers is refusing to return specialized manufacturing equipment that the automaker owns.
In an emergency lawsuit filed in federal court in Texas last week, Tesla claims the dispute could affect the production of several thousand Cybertrucks that have already been assigned to customers. According to the filing, first reported by Bloomberg Law, the company has only a limited supply of the affected components remaining, warning that inventory could run out within days.
The company in question is Angstrom Automotive Group, which acquired a Texas manufacturing facility from Anderton Casting last year. Tesla says it previously paid for both the custom tooling used to manufacture certain parts and the components themselves, but after the ownership change it has been unable to recover that equipment.
Tesla alleges the supplier has blocked multiple attempts to retrieve the tooling and has even prevented its employees from accessing the facility.
The automaker also claims Angstrom demanded an additional $250,000 per week to continue operating the plant while Tesla worked to resolve the dispute.
No quick replacement
According to the lawsuit, the tooling includes large die-cast equipment, trim dies, fixtures, cutting tools, gauges, and X-ray inspection equipment used to manufacture Cybertruck components. Tesla says reproducing the equipment would take five to six months.
The company also argues there is currently no alternate supplier capable of manufacturing the affected parts, stating that “its on-hand supply of the components produced by the Tooling is dwindling and will be exhausted in mere days.”
Rather than seeking financial damages, Tesla is asking the court for emergency relief that would allow it to recover its tooling and resume the flow of parts before production is interrupted.
Angstrom Automotive has not publicly responded to Tesla’s allegations. A judge is expected to consider Tesla’s request for emergency relief in the coming days.
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