The automotive industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by increasing penetration of electronics into vehicle systems to make mobility safer and intelligent and enhance in-car experiences. Megatrends governing the auto industry include more connected, autonomous, shared and electric vehicles that have led to the growing importance of technologies such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, Internet of Things, robotics and cloud computing. In the last three years alone, there have been over 720,000 patents filed and granted in the automotive industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Electric vehicles in automotive: HEV auxiliary drives. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which uses over one million patents to analyze innovation intensity for the automotive industry, there are 300+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
HEV auxiliary drives is a key innovation area in electric vehicles
A hybrid vehicle or hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) is one that has both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor driving system. In these vehicles, the battery is charged using the ICE engine and when switched to electric mode, the car can run the electric motor for a specific distance without the support of the ICE engine. The ICE engine is the primary drive unit and the electric motor is the auxiliary drive unit.
GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 140+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established automotive companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of HEV auxiliary drives.
Key players in HEV auxiliary drives – a disruptive innovation in the automotive industry
‘Application diversity’ measures the number of applications identified for each patent. It broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.
‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of countries each patent is registered in. It reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.
Patent volumes related to HEV auxiliary drives
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Porsche Automobil is the leading patent filer in HEV auxiliary drives for the automobile industry. It is primarily concerned with the design, production and marketing of HEV auxiliary drives technology. Schaeffler, Allison Transmission, and Zeppelin-Stiftung are some of the other significant patent filers in the innovation area.
In terms of application diversity, Iveco Group held the top position, while Ferrari and Kia stood in second and third positions, respectively. By means of geographic reach, Gates Industrial leads the pack, followed by Hitachi and BAE Systems.
To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the automotive industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Electric Vehicles (EV).
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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
