The automotive industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by governments around the world implementing regulations and offering subsidies to promote the adoption and purchase of zero-emission vehicles such as fuel-cell electric vehicles and hybrid fuel cell vehicles (HFCEV), decreasing cost of HFCEV components that is making HFCEVs more affordable, and growing importance of technologies such as proton exchange membrane fuel cells, solid oxide fuel cells, and power electronics. 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 Fuel cells in automotive: hybrid fuel cells. 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.
Hybrid fuel cells is a key innovation area in fuel cells
A hybrid fuel cell system is a power generation system that combines two or more types of power sources to generate electricity. In this system, a fuel cell is combined with other sources of energy, such as batteries and capacitors, to improve efficiency and reliability.
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 540+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established automotive companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of hybrid fuel cells.
Key players in hybrid fuel cells – 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 hybrid fuel cells
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Toyota Motor (Toyota) is the leading hybrid fuel cells patent filer, followed by Honda Motor. Toyota is developing solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), which are more efficient than proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), the type of fuel cell currently used in Toyota's HFCs. Toyota is also developing new HFC systems that are more compact and lightweight, which will make them more suitable for use in a wider range of vehicles. Some other prominent patent filers in the space include Hyundai Motor, Nissan Motor, and Panasonic.
In terms of application diversity, Kyocera leads the pack, while Johnson & Johnson and Brookfield stood in the second and third positions, respectively. By means of geographic reach, Tesla held the top position, followed by Electro Power Systems and Dyson.
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.
