US ELECTRIC carmaker Tesla is suing to block the Trump Administration from collecting tariffs on parts the company imports from China, reported Bloomberg.

Tesla has filed suit in the US Court of International Trade in New York, seeking an order declaring the duties unlawful and a refund, with interest, of amounts already paid.

The company is challenging actions by US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, who is named as a defendant in the case.

Mr Lighthizer's office last year denied Tesla's bid to be exempted from tariffs of 25 per cent on the Chinese-made computer and display screens it uses in its Model 3 electric car.

At the time, Tesla complained that the increased costs imposed by the tariffs would cause it economic harm. In 2018, the company estimated that increased tariffs on parts from China would cut gross profit by US$50 million in the fourth quarter.