The automotive industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation. Activity is driven by electrification, battery technology range improvements, government regulations, and need to reduce emissions, and growing importance of technologies such as smart EV charging and vehicle to X (V2X) technology. 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: Intermittent charging for EVs. Buy the report here.

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According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which uses over 619,000 patents to analyse innovation intensity for the automotive industry, there are 290+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry. 

Intermittent charging for EVs is a key innovation area in environmental sustainability 

Intermittent charging allows the batteries to connect to an open circuit for a particular period until they are charged at a voltage that is usually greater than the normal float voltage of the system. It helps to improve battery life and reduce 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 intermittent charging for EVs. 

Key players in intermittent charging for EVs – a disruptive innovation in the automotive industry  

‘Application diversity’ measures the number of different applications identified for each relevant patent. It broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators. 

‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of different countries each relevant patent is registered in. It reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’. 

Patent volumes related to intermittent charging for EVs

Company Total patents (2021 - 2023) Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies
Bombardier 355 Unlock Company Profile
Arendals Fossekompani 140 Unlock Company Profile
Proterra 99 Unlock Company Profile
Toyota Motor 73 Unlock Company Profile
Nissan Motor 45 Unlock Company Profile
Alstom 43 Unlock Company Profile
Qualcomm 41 Unlock Company Profile
Siemens 40 Unlock Company Profile
AB Volvo 31 Unlock Company Profile
IHI 27 Unlock Company Profile
Porsche Automobil Holding 26 Unlock Company Profile
Furrer+Frey 24 Unlock Company Profile
WiTricity 22 Unlock Company Profile
Nio 21 Unlock Company Profile
Denso 19 Unlock Company Profile
Electric Road 19 Unlock Company Profile
Ford Motor 18 Unlock Company Profile
Lohr Industrie 15 Unlock Company Profile
Sogrepar 13 Unlock Company Profile
Toshiba 12 Unlock Company Profile
Sumitomo Heavy Industries 11 Unlock Company Profile
Mitsubishi Electric 10 Unlock Company Profile
Intel 9 Unlock Company Profile
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries 9 Unlock Company Profile
Robert Bosch Stiftung 9 Unlock Company Profile
Honda Motor 8 Unlock Company Profile
General Atomics 8 Unlock Company Profile
Semiconductor Energy Laboratory 8 Unlock Company Profile
Elways 8 Unlock Company Profile
Liebherr-International 7 Unlock Company Profile
Beckhoff Automation 6 Unlock Company Profile
CEA 6 Unlock Company Profile
Here 6 Unlock Company Profile
CNH Industrial 6 Unlock Company Profile
BEUMER Group 5 Unlock Company Profile
Kia 5 Unlock Company Profile
Hyundai Motor Group 5 Unlock Company Profile
LG 5 Unlock Company Profile

Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics

Bombardier is a key player in the intermittent charging for EVs innovation area. It has developed a wireless intermittent charging technology PRIMOVE for electric buses, which can top up charging for batteries of the buses in just minutes. It has also collaborated with automobile manufacturers for the development of the PRIMOVE solution for use in e-cars. Arendals Fossekompani, Proterra, Toyota and Nissan are some of the other key players.

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.