Technology giant Apple may be trying to expand beyond computers, smartphones and watches to develop an automobile, a lawsuit filed in Massachusetts federal court suggests.

Electric-car battery maker A123 Systems is accusing the California company of poaching top engineers in an effort to build a large-scale battery division, Reuters reported. An unnamed auto industry source told the news service last week that Apple has also recruited car-systems experts from Tesla and engaged in discussions with industry experts and automakers.

A123 Systems' lawsuit alleges that the iPhone maker began aggressively poaching its engineers around June 2014. The employees in question had been tasked with leading some of A123's most critical projects and joined Apple in violation of their employment agreements, the company said in court filings.

"Apple is currently developing a large-scale battery division to compete in the very same field as A123," the documents read.

The battery maker identified a number of current and former employees who have left the company, Mashable detailed. One of them, Mujeeb Ijaz, previously served as A123 Systems' chief technology officer.

"It appears that Apple, with the assistance of defendant Ijaz, is systematically hiring away A123's high tech Ph.D and engineering employees, thereby effectively shutting down various projects/programs at A123," the lawsuit claims. "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."

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that several hundred Apple employees were secretly working toward creating an electric vehicle. The newspaper's account was based on unnamed individuals "familiar with the matter."

No final decision had been made on the viability of the project, and Apple "often investigates technologies and potential products ... that it won't ever sell," the Wall Street Journal claimed.

While a car project would take several years to complete, many technologies used in electric vehicles could be useful to other Apple products. They include advanced batteries and in-car electronics, which could also help improve existing devices, such as Apple's iPhone and iPad, the newspaper added.

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