The automotive industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by renewable energy integration, energy management in microgrids, grid resilience, and stability, and growing importance of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), smart inverters, energy management systems (EMS), and machine learning (ML). In the last three years alone, there have been over 1.7 million patents filed and granted in the automotive industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Energy storage in automotive: adaptive energy storage. 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.
Adaptive energy storage is a key innovation area in energy storage
Adaptive energy storage refers to the utilization of energy storage devices that can dynamically adjust their operations based on various factors such as energy pricing, demand, and load characteristics. These devices are designed to optimize energy control solutions by leveraging networked energy-related devices, flexible pricing schemes, and synergy between different components. Adaptive energy storage systems aim to automate and provide cost-effective management of energy consumption.
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 30+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established automotive companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of adaptive energy storage.
Key players in adaptive energy storage – 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 adaptive energy storage
| Company | Total patents (2021 - 2023) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| Toyota Motor | 18 | Unlock Company Profile |
| IHI | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Robert Bosch Stiftung | 4 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Oracle | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Hexagon | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Hyundai Motor | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| State Grid Corporation of China | 78 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Kozo Keikaku Engineering | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Ormat Technologies | 11 | Unlock Company Profile |
| General Electric | 11 | Unlock Company Profile |
| V2Green | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Honda Motor | 4 | Unlock Company Profile |
| China Southern Power Grid | 20 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Mitsubishi Electric | 15 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Generac | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Sacramento Municipal Utility District | 7 | Unlock Company Profile |
| General Motors | 4 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Nitto Denko | 11 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Sony Group | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Generac Power Systems | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| LG | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Denso | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Accenture | 28 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 12 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Clean Power Research | 4 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Toshiba | 11 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Kia | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| NEC | 7 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Twenty First Century Utilities | 10 | Unlock Company Profile |
| State Grid NARI Nanjing Control System | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Jiangsu Electric Power | 4 | Unlock Company Profile |
| State Grid Shanghai Municipal Electric Power | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| State Grid Corporation of China | 17 | Unlock Company Profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
State Grid Corporation of China is one of the leading patent filers in adaptive energy storage. The company implements advanced ML and AI algorithms to analyze historical and real-time data, optimizing energy storage system operation based on usage patterns, weather forecasts, and grid conditions. State Grid Corporation of China’s integration of predictive analytics tools that forecast energy demand and generation patterns allows the adaptive energy storage system to proactively adjust its operation to meet anticipated needs. Some other key patent filers in this space are Accenture and China Southern Power.
In terms of application diversity, NEC leads the pack, while General Motors and Hexagon stood in the second and third positions, respectively. By means of geographic reach, Mitsubishi Electric held the top position, followed by Accenture and Mitsubishi.
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.
