The automotive industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with activity driven by developments in catalytic converters, which is found to be one of the most effective tools to reduce the undesirable pollutants in the environment, and growing importance of technologies such as oxidation catalyst (OC), three-way catalyst & oxidation catalyst (TWC-OC). In the last three years alone, there have been over 1.2 million patents filed and granted in the automotive industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Environmental sustainability in Automotive: Catalytic converters.
However, not all innovations are equal and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early emergence to accelerating adoption, before finally stabilising and reaching maturity.
Identifying where a particular innovation is on this journey, especially those that are in the emerging and accelerating stages, is essential for understanding their current level of adoption and the likely future trajectory and impact they will have.
290+ innovations will shape the automotive industry
According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the automotive industry using innovation intensity models built on over 619,000 patents, there are 290+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Within the emerging innovation stage, EV discharge prediction, fuel cell ion exchange membranes, and hydrogen ICE fuel tanks are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. V2G smart metering, silicon-air batteries, and zeolites for exhaust filtering are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are HEV propulsion systems and wind-powered vehicles, which are now well established in the industry.
Innovation S-curve for environmental sustainability in the automotive industry
Catalytic converters is a key innovation area in environmental sustainability
A catalytic converter is a component that attaches to the front of an automobile's exhaust system, near the engine. It lowers the quantity of gaseous pollutants, such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and hydrocarbons, that are released into the environment. A car's efficiency, which has a direct impact on the health and performance of the entire vehicle, is enhanced by a properly maintained catalytic converter.
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 40+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established automotive companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of catalytic converters.
Key players in catalytic converters – a disruptive innovation in the automotive industry
‘Application diversity’ measures the number of different applications identified for each relevant patent and broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.
‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of different countries each relevant patent is registered in and reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.
Patent volumes related to catalytic converters
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Toyota Motors engages in the development, manufacture, and trading of catalytic converters. The company currently holds 268 filed patents in catalytic converters for the automotive industry segment. Other companies innovating catalytic converters for the automotive industry are Johnson Matthey, Porsche Automobil, and General Motors.
To further understand how environmental sustainability is 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.
