The automotive industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity in crowdsourced electric vehicle (EV) charging is driven by increasing demand for EVs, limited availability of traditional infrastructure, advancements in sensor and communication technology, growing popularity of the peer-to-peer sharing economy, government support for charging infrastructure, and growing importance of technologies such as vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capability, smart charging, blockchain, and artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize EV charging. 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: crowdsourced EV charging. 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.
Crowdsourced EV charging is a key innovation area in electric vehicles
Crowdsourced EV charging refers to a system or method that allows electric or battery-powered vehicles to recharge their batteries with the help of data gathered from various sources. This data can include information about available charging stations, their location, condition, and other relevant details. By utilizing crowdsourced data, EV owners can easily find and navigate to nearby charging stations, improving the overall convenience and efficiency of the charging process.
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 1305+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established automotive companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of crowdsourced EV charging.
Key players in crowdsourced EV charging – 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 crowdsourced EV charging
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Ford Motor is one of the leading patent filers in crowdsourced EV charging. The company focussed on identifying stations, matching drivers, and providing information. Ford's commitment to developing innovative solutions and commercializing these solutions gives it a competitive advantage in making EV charging more convenient and affordable. Some other key patent filers in this space include Cox Enterprises and State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance.
In terms of application diversity, Didi Global leads the pack, while Geotab and Cloudparc stood in the second and third positions, respectively. By means of geographic reach, Cox Enterprises held the top position, followed by State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance and Nio.
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.
