The automotive industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by the need for electrification, zero emission vehicles, and environmental concerns, and growing importance of technologies such as air cooling, liquid cooling, thermoelectric element cooling system, hybrid BTMS etc. 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 Batteries in automotive: battery heat exchangers. 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.
Battery heat exchangers is a key innovation area in batteries
Heat exchangers help in moving the heat from one medium to another. The medium used can be a gas, a liquid, or a mix of the two. These media may be next to each other or separated by a solid wall to avoid mixing.
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 320+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established automotive companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of battery heat exchangers.
Key players in battery heat exchangers – 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 battery heat exchangers
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Toyota Motor, Honda Motor, Porsche Automobil, and Valeo are among the leading patent filers in battery heat exchangers. Hitachi is another key player in the innovation area. The Thermal Link System by Hitachi is a vehicle integrated thermal management (VITM) system designed for electric cars that can achieve heat transfer from the exterior to the inside using a heat-pump cycle. Its interior heating is characterized by the use of waste heat from the battery.
In terms of application diversity, Xerotech held the top position, while Mitsui Chemicals and Dana stood in second and third positions, respectively. By means of geographic reach, Allison Transmission leads the pack, followed by Xerotech and Thunder Power Hong Kong.
To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the automotive industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Automotive.
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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.
