The automotive industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with activity driven by enhanced driving experience, fuel efficiency, and engine performance, and growing importance of technologies such as electrification, and connected and autonomous vehicles. 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 Innovation in Automotive: Heat-insulated marine vessels.
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, resilient spoke wheels, auto-transmission lubrication circuits, and ignition switching engines are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Engine purge actuators, electro-dynamic braking, and adsorptive vapour recovery system estimation are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are collision avoidance braking control system and direct injection type engines, which are now well established in the industry.
Innovation S-curve for the automotive industry
Heat-insulated marine vessels are a key innovation area in automotive
Insulation that has been certified for use in marine applications, or marine insulation, is frequently found in the walls and ceilings of ships and other ocean-going vessels. Marine insulation must be resistant to moisture and humidity in addition to providing thermal, fire, and acoustic insulation.
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 10+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established automotive companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of heat-insulated marine vessels.
Key players in heat-insulated marine vessels – 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 heat-insulated marine vessels
| Company | Total patents (2010 - 2021) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| Engie | 649 | Unlock company profile |
| Korea Development Bank | 124 | Unlock company profile |
| Samsung Heavy Industries | 123 | Unlock company profile |
| Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 40 | Unlock company profile |
| Shell | 21 | Unlock company profile |
| Korea Gas | 21 | Unlock company profile |
| Linde | 17 | Unlock company profile |
| Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings | 17 | Unlock company profile |
| Exxon Mobil | 13 | Unlock company profile |
| Woodside Energy Group | 13 | Unlock company profile |
| LNT Marine | 13 | Unlock company profile |
| Altair Engineering | 12 | Unlock company profile |
| Porsche Automobil Holding | 11 | Unlock company profile |
| Wartsila | 10 | Unlock company profile |
| IC Technologies | 9 | Unlock company profile |
| General Dynamics | 9 | Unlock company profile |
| Japan Marine United | 8 | Unlock company profile |
| Mitsui E&S Holdings | 5 | Unlock company profile |
| Unison eTech | 5 | Unlock company profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Engie, with 649 patents, is one of the top companies to file for heat-insulated marine vessels patents. ENGIE through its subsidiary ENDEL, has acquired the French company CNN MCO, which specialises in the maintenance, management, and upkeep of all types of naval vessels. ENGIE's strategy is based on four priorities: tripling its business in the process industries; ensuring its customers' operating performance; offering creative solutions for design, production, and maintenance; and exporting its cutting-edge expertise to its customers. Shell, Linde, and Korea Gas are a few other notable patent filers in the same industry.
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.
