A123 Systems, a lithium-ion battery maker for electric vehicles and other sectors, has filed suit against Apple Inc. for poaching key engineers to build its own large-scale battery division.

Filed in Massachusetts on Tuesday, the complaint (via 9to5mac) names five employees who have gone to work for Apple since June last year and alleges that some of them are actively recruiting other A123 Systems employees to join Apple.

The company claims the departure of these employees has left them in the lurch and since it has been unable to replace them, unable to continue work on projects with which they were charged. It further claims to have found email correspondence on work computers between the engineers and Apple’s headhunters; further evidence that the engineers were poached.

Two of the employees named in the suit, Dapeng Wang and Indrajeet Thorat, are PhD scientists who were in charge of separate projects at A123 Systems; projects the company claims they had to shut down following their departure.

The suit names Apple and the five former A123 Systems employees as defendants, saying that the engineers are in breach of non-compete agreements they signed and alleging that Apple has engaged in “unfair competition.”

The lawsuit comes only a few days after rumors surfaced that Apple is working on developing an electric car that may or may not be self-driving. Last week a report by Bloomberg revealed a staff poaching war between Apple and Tesla Motors Inc. Apple is apparently also talking to talking to experts at carmakers and automotive suppliers.

Apple hiring engineers with a specialization in battery technology may, of course, have nothing to do with an electric car, but rather with developing existing technologies further. Considering the company’s failed efforts to make the upcoming Apple Watch’s battery last more than one day, it could seemingly use any help it can get.

photo credit: Critical Battery Icon old laptop via photopin (license)