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Relecura IP Intelligence Report
Electric Vehicle (EV) Technology Battery and Charging Patents Tesla Motors vs. The Rest
Relecura Inc. www.relecura.com
[email protected]
September 2014
Background Recent News from the Electric Vehicle (EV) industry: • Tesla has announced that it will not initiate patent lawsuits against anyone who, “… in good faith, wants to use our technology.” [Link] • Tesla and Panasonic are developing nickel based lithium ion battery cells, and are jointly building a large plant to manufacture these batteries. [Link] • BMW has announced that it is willing to open up it’s battery technology patents for use by other companies. [Link] • Toyota signals a move away from EVs to fuel cell cars. [Link] • Tesla is credited with reigniting interest in the plug-in EV among large automakers. • The introduction of Tesla’s Roadster in 2006 – a plug-in electric sports car, powered by Li-ion batteries, with a range of over 200 miles per charge and an acceleration of 0-60 miles per hour in under 4 seconds - spurred the large automakers to introduce plug-in EV models. [Link] This report tries to address questions such as: • Who are the major patent holders in the EV space and how does their technology IP focus compare with that of Tesla? • How does Tesla’s core IP in battery and charging technology compare with the patent assets of the other major players? • What seems to be the current technology focus of Tesla, as well as the other companies in the EV space? September 2014
Copyright © 2014, Relecura Inc.
2
Key Findings Top EV patent holders vs. Tesla (Tech focus in an approximate order of priority)
• •
• •
Top EV Players
Tesla
Hybrid vehicles
Plug-in electric vehicles
Fuel cells
Lithium-Ion battery packs
Power transmission components
Fast charging (Supercharging)
Battery control systems
Temperature regulation in batteries
Capacitors
Battery management
Storage systems
Safety systems related to battery charging
Charging cables and connectors
Improving battery life
On-board vehicle charging systems & methods
Reducing damage during charging and discharging
Top EV patent holders include a mix of automakers and battery manufacturers. The list includes Toyota, Nissan, Honda, General Motors, Bosch, and Panasonic. The active markets for EVs are indicated by the preferred jurisdictions for patent filings by the top players. Interestingly China is #1, followed by Japan. The U.S. and Europe are #3 and #4 respectively. Sixty percent (60%) of Tesla’s patent portfolio is related to battery packs and charging – their key focus area. The top Lithium battery patent holders are LG, Bosch, Toyota, Sony, Samsung,
September 2014
and Hitachi (Toyota is the sole automaker in this group). •
In Lithium battery technology, the top players mainly focus on the manufacture of batteries. In comparison Tesla focuses on systems that make their functioning more efficient, such as battery monitoring, temperature control , and safety systems.
•
Patent filing trends of the various large automakers seem to suggest that the introduction of Tesla’s Roadster in 2006 prompted the auto majors to reboot their EV related development (as indicated by a dip in filings around that time, followed by an increase).
•
From their filing history, it would seem that the large automakers are hedging their bets between plug-in EVs and electric or fuel cell hybrids. The are actively filing in both EV and fuel cell related technologies.
•
Tesla on the other hand is filing in technologies related to plug-in EVs alone, with an emphasis on a range of technologies related to batteries and charging.
•
In spite of a smaller portfolio than the larger players, Tesla (established in 2003) has significant IP related to battery technology (Li-ion), and charging (fast charging).
•
General Motors, Audi, Toyota, Ford, Samsung and Panasonic all cite Tesla patents, indicating a likely overlap in their R&D focus.
Copyright © 2014, Relecura Inc.
3
Table of Contents 1.
2.
Electric Vehicles (EV) - Patent Landscape
3.
EV Battery Technology - Patent Portfolio Analysis
4.
EV Charging Technology - Patent Portfolio Analysis
•
EV Technologies - Top Patent Holders
•
EV Technologies - Filing Trends (Overall)
•
EV Battery Technology - Top Patent Holders
•
EV Charging Technology - Top Patent Holders
•
EV Technologies - Filing Trends (Top Holders)
•
EV Battery Portfolio - Tesla vs. Nissan, Honda, Toyota
•
EV Charging - Tesla vs. Panasonic, Honda, Toyota
•
EV Technologies - Filings by Jurisdiction
•
EV Battery Portfolio - Tesla vs. Mitsubishi, Hitachi, Bosch
•
EV Charging Technology - Filing Trends (Overall)
•
Electric Vehicles (EV) - Technology Categories
•
•
EV Charging Technology - Filing Trends (Top holders)
•
EV Technologies - Category counts (Equivalents)
Temperature Regulation Patents (Major Automakers) Tesla vs. Nissan, Honda, Toyota
•
•
Temperature Regulation Patents (Battery Manufacturers) - Tesla vs. Mitsubishi, Hitachi, Bosch
EV Charging Technology - Filings by Jurisdiction
•
Tesla - EV Charging Portfolio
•
Tesla - Top Cited EV Charging Patents
•
Tesla’s Key Technology - "Fast Charging" Patents
Tesla Motors - Patent Portfolio Analysis •
Tesla Portfolio - Technology Spread
•
EV Battery Technology - Filing Trends
•
Tesla Portfolio - Filing Trends
•
EV battery Technology - Filing Trends (Top holders)
•
Tesla Portfolio - Technology Categories
•
EV Battery Technology - Filing by Jurisdiction
•
Portfolio Comparison - Tesla vs. BMW (Absolute Counts)
•
Li-ion Battery Technology - Top patent holders
•
Portfolio Comparison - Tesla vs. BMW (Relative Emphasis)
•
Li-ion Battery - Filing Trends (Top holders)
•
Portfolio Comparison - Tesla vs. Panasonic
•
Fuel Cells - Filing Trends (Top holders)
•
EV Technologies - Tesla vs. The Rest - Portfolio Counts and Ranks
•
Li-ion Battery Patents - Tesla vs. Others
•
EV Battery and Charging Technologies - Filing Trends (Overall)
•
Tesla - EV Battery Portfolio
•
Tesla - Top Cited EV Battery Patents
•
GM Battery Portfolio Growth - via Acquisition and M&A
•
Bosch Battery Portfolio Growth - via Acquisition and M&A
September 2014
Copyright © 2014, Relecura Inc.
5.
List of Tables
6.
Disclaimer
4
Electric Vehicles (EV) - Patent Landscape
September 2014
© Relecura Inc.
5
EV Technologies – Top Patent Holders
Key finding: Toyota’s EV portfolio is by far the largest among the top players. Table 1 (click link to open Tables PDF) gives a list of the various classification relating to various EV sub-technologies. The above results are based on 323,960 relevant patent documents for EV technologies comprising of 161,183 equivalents**. ** An EQUIVALENT refers to a set of patent filings for a single invention. September 2014
Copyright © 2014, Relecura Inc.
6
EV Technologies – Filing Trends (Overall)
Key finding: The patent filings in EV technology have continuously increased over time from the mid ‘90s. The decline in filings post 2012 is most likely due to unpublished applications.
September 2014
Copyright © 2014, Relecura Inc.
7
EV Technologies – Filing Trends (Top Holders)
40
74
70
74
90
114
79
98
40
35 85
74
66
113 108
71
123
56
48
29
39
91
35
15
35
21
64
43
34
111 277 176 263 266 202
148 161 137 159 228 289 225
281 243 222 172 278 361 295
114 131 133 149 160 271 339 241
62
138
32
66
110 158 247 191 211 188 245 320 265
93
87
54
41
36 54
120
44
45
70
95
398 515 608 163 224 304 130
343 107 211 210
75
581
342 326 371 295
1800 900
1,701 1,175 1,270 1,114 172 1,544 868 1,216 1,562
97
80
358 368 295 249 184 213 320 280 306 298 149 113 170 291
3 18
4 4
6 9
3
6 7
2
29
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
0
2000
Number of equivalents
147 199 206 166 183 166 182 153 252 253 361 378 330
495 685 247 269 336
57
59
65
84
109
27
Patent Holder
6
Filing Year
September 2014
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Key Findings: • Most of the top patent holders began filing prior to 2000. • Tesla’s earliest patent filing was in 2006. • Daimler and Hyundai show an increase in patent filings post 2006 – perhaps indicating a greater emphasis in EV technologies. • The same can be said to a lesser extent about the other large players – both automakers and battery manufacturers • As an aside – Tesla introduced their first model, The Roadster, in 2006 – creating a buzz which caused the large automakers and battery manufacturers to reboot their EVrelated development.
8
EV Technologies - Filings by Jurisdiction
Country Code
Country
Number of Applications
CN
China
59428
JP
Japan
47750
US
USA
46916
DE
Germany
20272
EP
Europe
19578
KR
Korea
11999
CA
Canada
4323
FR
France
3866
TW
Taiwan
2831
Key Finding: The large number of filings in China, Japan, U.S. clearly indicates the markets of interest for the top players.
September 2014
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9
Electric Vehicles (EV) – Technology Categories
Key Findings: • Batteries, power supply systems, propulsion, and control units are the top segments for patents in EV technologies. • Other technologies covered include electric elements, automotive components like gears, couplings, clutches & brakes, electric cables and materials related to batteries, safety devices, exhaust devices, vehicle fittings and servicing. The size of the bubble represents the number of patents and the positioning of the circles represents the relatedness of the technologies.
September 2014
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10
EV Technologies – Category counts (Equivalents) Relecura Technology Category
September 2014
No of Equivalents
Relecura Technology Category
No of Equivalents
Electric Elements - Batteries
27,609
Non Metallic Elements & Compounds
1,547
Propulsion Units For Vehicles
24,014
Electric Elements - Connectors, Collectors
1,543
Control Systems For Vehicles
13,731
Propulsion For Wheeled Vehicles
1,523
Power Supply & Distribution Circuits
11,061
Couplings, Clutches & Brakes
1,294
Measurement - Electric & Magnetic Variables
8,636
Cycles
1,238
Gearing
7,139
Internal Combustion Engines
1,199
Vehicle Technology Misc
3,832
Inorganic Solid Compounds
954
Dynamo Electric Machines
3,651
Vehicle Suspension
921
Greentech - Smart Grid
3,311
Inorganic Compounds Or Salts Containing Metals
827
Power Controllers & Regulators
3,302
Electric Supply For Vehicles
826
Brake Control Systems
2,609
Lifting Or Pushing Loads
753
Electric Elements - Capacitors
2,595
Data Transmission
748
Combustion Engine Control
2,488
Protective Circuits
593
Vehicle Fittings
2,422
Electric Elements - Cables
568
Air Treating Devices For Vehicles
1,888
Electric Elements - Switches
543
Electric Power Converters
1,844
Exhaust Devices
532
Combustion Engines Starting Apparatus
1,696
Vehicle Servicing
531
Data Processing Systems
1,589
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11
Tesla Motors - Patent Portfolio Analysis
September 2014
© Relecura Inc.
12
Tesla Portfolio – Technology Spread
Click to view Tesla Portfolio present in Relecura
Key finding: Approximately 60% of Tesla’s patent portfolio is related to battery packs and charging. • Tesla has a total of 655 patents resulting in 249 equivalents including 8 design patents. • Tesla currently holds 311 documents (142 eq.) and has assigned 343 documents (168 eq.) to PNC Bank as security. • Joint patent holdings: Tesla + Nishikawa Rubber Co. Ltd. - 7 documents (2 equivalents), Tesla + Toyota – 1 document. September 2014
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13
Tesla Portfolio – Filing Trends
Key finding: Tesla started filing patents in 2005 with a sharp rise filing in 2011. The decline post 2012 is most likely due to unpublished patent applications.
September 2014
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14
Tesla Portfolio – Technology Categories
Key Finding: Batteries, charging (power supply and distribution circuits), and electric equipment for vehicles are the IP technology focus of Tesla. The size of the bubble represents the number of patents and the positioning of the circles represents the relatedness of the technologies.
September 2014
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15
Portfolio Comparison - Tesla vs. BMW (Absolute Counts)
Recent news: Following in Tesla's footsteps, BMW offers to share electric car technology. [Link] Tesla has 248 patent equivalents and BMW has 839 patent equivalents in EV technology. Key Findings: • Tesla has a larger number of patents addressing batteries, battery packs, Li batteries and controllers. • BMW leads in terms of filings for hybrid vehicles, internal combustion engines, electric motors, fuel cells, and power trains.
Absolution count comparison: The size of each bubble represents the total number of patent equivalents across portfolios and the colored sectors represent relative number of equivalents in their respective portfolios.
September 2014
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16
Portfolio Comparison - Tesla vs. BMW (Relative Emphasis)
Key Findings: • Tesla has a stronger emphasis on battery, charging methods, Lithium batteries, controlling state of charge, and thermal control mechanisms. • BMW focuses on electric motor, gear, drive shaft and hybrid vehicles.
Relative emphasis comparison: The size of each bubble represents the percentage of total patents for each technology across portfolios, and the colored sectors represent the relative percentages in the respective portfolios.
The Topic Maps in the subsequent slides will solely display the relative emphasis of the compared portfolios - as shown here.
September 2014
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17
Portfolio Comparison - Tesla vs. Panasonic Fuel Cells Capacitors
Lithium ion battery technologies
Battery Maintenance Mounting propulsion units Battery racks Temperature control of batteries Battery monitoring and controlling
Electric propulsion
Metal hydride batteries
Battery monitoring parameters
Materials for thermal isolation of batteries
September 2014
Recent news: Tesla, Panasonic join forces on huge battery plant. [Link] Key Findings: • Panasonic's concentration has been on Lithium ion batteries, metal hydride batteries, fuel cells and capacitors. • Tesla's focus has been on charging technologies (very strong), temperature control, battery monitoring and control, battery monitoring parameters, materials for thermal isolation of batteries and battery racks. • Table 2 gives the descriptions of the CPC codes in the Topic Map.
The size of each bubble represents the percentage of total patents for each CPC code across portfolios, and the colored sectors represent the relative percentages in the respective portfolios.
Batteries Charging Technologies
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18
EV Technologies - Tesla vs. The Rest Portfolio Counts and Ranks
Electric Vehicles (overall) Patent Holder
Battery
Charging
Lithium Battery
Number of Equivalents
Ranking
Number of Equivalents
Ranking
Number of Equivalents
Ranking
Number of Equivalents
Ranking
Toyota
13,733
1
3,733
1
854
1
157
3
Nissan
4,165
2
1,020
3
236
4
34
15
Honda
3,644
3
1,208
2
248
2
16
25
General Motors
3,220
4
882
4
185
6
68
10
Bosch
2,828
5
828
5
92
17
162
2
Panasonic
2,760
6
527
11
238
3
29
18
Hitachi
2,681
7
595
9
100
12
93
6
Hyundai
2,613
8
780
6
137
8
9
38
Mitsubishi
2,218
9
583
10
206
5
20
21
Daimler
1,843
10
600
8
85
18
84
7
Tesla
249
115
40
41
37
49
11
September 2014
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19
EV Battery and Charging Technologies – Filing Trends (Overall)
Key Finding: Both technologies have grown in tandem over the last 20 years, with the rate of filing in batteries leading that of charging technologies.
September 2014
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20
EV Battery Technology - Patent Portfolio Analysis
September 2014
© Relecura Inc.
21
EV Battery Technology – Top Patent Holders
Smaller Patent Holders
Equivalents
Aisin Seiko
280
Chery Automobile
190
BYD Co. Ltd.
171
Johnson Controls
82
Aerovironment
63
Boston Power
9
Key Finding: The top patent holders include automobile-related companies like Toyota, Honda, Nissan, General Motors, Hyundai, and Bosch, as well as battery manufacturers like Panasonic, LG, Sanyo, and Samsung.
September 2014
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22
EV Battery Portfolio - Tesla vs. Nissan, Honda, Toyota Key Findings: • Tesla has a strong portfolio in the areas of Lithium-ion battery packs, battery temperature regulation, failure detection and elimination, and battery management. • In comparison, the large automakers have a greater number of patents addressing fuel cells and fuel cell vehicles, battery control systems for charging/discharging. Table 5 gives descriptions of CPC codes displayed.
September 2014
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23
EV Battery Portfolio - Tesla vs. Mitsubishi, Hitachi, Bosch Battery monitoring and controlling Hybrid vehicle parallel type storage system
Capacitors
Battery Temperature regulation
Key Findings: • Tesla has a stronger emphasis in the areas of battery temperature regulation and Li-ion batteries. • Tesla’s focus is less in technologies related to capacitors and hybrid vehicle storage systems. • Mitsubishi's portfolio has less of a focus on Li-ion batteries compared to Tesla and the other players shown. Table 6 provides descriptions of the CPC codes shown in the Topic Map.
Lithium ion battery
Battery control parameters
Liquids for heat exchange State of charge Energy storage control system controlling September 2014
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24
Temperature Regulation Patents (Major Automakers) Tesla vs. Nissan, Honda, Toyota
Key Findings: • Toyota leads the way in filing patents in this area, though it has tapered off in recent years. • Tesla portfolio compares favorably with the other top patent holders in this area.
September 2014
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25
Temperature Regulation Patents (Battery Manufacturers) – Tesla vs. Mitsubishi, Hitachi, Bosch
Battery monitoring & controlling trends
Key Findings: • Bosch leads in patent filings for both of these sub-technologies. Battery temperature regulation trends
September 2014
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• Tesla has been actively filing patents in battery temperature regulation since 2006.
26
EV Battery Technology - Filing Trends
Key Finding: Patent filings in battery technology have seen a significant growth post 2006.
September 2014
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27
EV battery Technology – Filing Trends (Top holders)
Key Findings: •
Toyota, Honda, and Nissan have shown a steady increase in their filing activity for this area, especially since 2008.
•
The patent filings of General Motors have tapered since 2008, the year in which they were the top filer for this sub-technology.
•
Tesla has been filing consistently in this area, though the number of patents filed per year is lower than that of the top patent holders.
September 2014
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28
EV Battery Technology – Filing by Jurisdiction
September 2014
Top patent holders
Filing jurisdictions (indicates markets of interest)
Toyota
U.S., Japan, China, Europe, Korea, PCT
Nissan, Honda
U.S., Japan, China, Germany, Europe, Canada, Australia
Hyundai
Korea, U.S., Japan
Hyundai
Korea (majority of its filings), U.S., Japan
Bosch
Germany (majority of its filings), PCT, U.S., China
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29
Li-ion Battery Technology – Top patent holders
Key Findings: •
Pure-play battery manufacturers like LG, Bosch, Sony, Samsung, and Hitachi, lead the major automakers in terms of patents filed in this area.
•
Of the automakers, Toyota has the largest portfolio of Li-ion battery patents (overall 3rd highest, after LG and Bosch).
September 2014
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30
Li-ion Battery – Filing Trends (Top holders) 7
3
1
4
2
2 1
2 8
8
10
3
2
1 9
3
1
3
2
4
3
6
5
4
4
32 41
1
2
1 4
1
11
100
10 13 20 10
1
10
9
5 3
6
8
Tesla
12
PSA PEUGEOT CITROEN 1
GENERAL MOTORS SB LIMOTIVE
1
33
HITACHI SAMSUNG
17
SONY 6
31 94
3 8
47 37
1
35
•
Most of the top players began filing patents in this area around 2005.
•
Toyota (which leads in total number of Li-ion patents among the automakers), has tapered off its filings in this area.
This might signal a move away from EVs to other technologies such as fuel cell
TOYOTA 1
2
Key Findings:
SANYO
6
1
20 78 10 53
29 31 25 19 24 3
1
RENAULT
DAIMLER 10
8
17
5
BOSCH
cars. [see news article]
LG
2014
2013
2012
2011
2008
2007
2006
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
1994
0 2005
Number of Equivalents
1
1
1
23 18 15
9
5
1
NISSAN
1
6
5
15 18 12
4
11
7
4
3
2 2
14
4
2010
1
7
15
10 11
5
14 13
1 6
1
2009
1
9
2
8
4
12 11
6
2 2
2
1 4
4
4
1
NGK INSULATORS
1
3
6
1
4
1
1
2 2
1
1 2
1
2
1
Patent Holder
3
Filing Year
September 2014
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31
Fuel Cells – Filing Trends (Top holders)
21
11
5
13
7
4
4
59
73
59
43
46
47
59
31
46
45
66
2009
131 175 182
26
59
50
29
41
21
24
14
34
22
9 29
2
6
3 7
21 9
•
KIA MOTORS
AIRBUS
1
FORD
3
PANASONIC
filed for patents in fuel cells. •
HYUNDAI
The number of patents filed by these automakers have however decreased in recent years.
DAIMLER 2
Several of the large automakers, like Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Ford, and Renault, have
•
GENERAL MOTORS 1
4
7
20
28
Key Findings:
SIEMENS 11
15
8
14
58
BOSCH
RENAULT
26
23
9
24
11
31
43
24
SUZUKI MOTOR
2
4
12
17
66
40
5
43
139 96
37
18
23
18
14
38
33
20
2008
40
32
80
49
20
29
10
33
7
2007
33
33
11
8
86
2005
23
53
79
2004
41
45
2003
12
2001
200 100 0
29
11
9
38
21
11
2002
20
2000
Number of Equivalents
14
10
3
2
23
9
6
25
30
24
9
SAMSUNG 3
1 11
10
16 8
5
2 11
5
9
7
5 14
6
5
2 8
4
14
11
6
39
29
13
2006
6
19
18
7
5
3
17
13
5
14
2012
6
20
13
6
2
14
2
7
2010
28
13
8
8
1
2
1
5
22
2
2
2011
1
5
6
4
9
5 6
4
3
2013
5
1
7
2
15
7
Patent Holder
7
2
11
5
2
1
Toyota, Bosch, General Motors, Nissan, Daimler, Renault, and Samsung seem to be
NISSAN
hedging their bets by filing in both Li-ion
HONDA
batteries and fuel cells.
TOYOTA 2014
1
•
Tesla has no patent filings in this area.
Filing Year
September 2014
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32
Li-ion Battery Patents - Tesla vs. Others
Key Findings: • Sub-technology spread for Li-ion battery patents - Li accumulators, temperature control, vent systems, safety arrangements, battery isolation, battery monitoring and controlling parameters, state of charge controlling technologies. • Tesla focus: temperature control, safety arrangements, vent systems, state of charge controlling in Li batteries. • Focus of other players: Li accumulators and Li battery manufacturing. Table 7 gives descriptions of the CPC codes displayed.
September 2014
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33
Tesla - EV Battery Portfolio
Key Finding: Tesla's EV battery portfolio covers sub-technologies like Li-ion battery packs, battery monitoring and control systems, temperature regulation i.e. heating or cooling of batteries, detection and elimination of failures related to batteries, battery protection systems like dehumidifiers and thermal runaway management. Table 3 gives descriptions of the CPC codes displayed in the Topic Map.
September 2014
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34
Tesla – Top Cited EV Battery Patents Publication Number
Relecura Star Rating
Forward Citations Count
US20090021385A1
3.5
39
General Motors (5), IBM (4), Daimler (3), Honda (2), Bosch (2), Denso (2)
1
Electric Vehicle Communication Interface
2007-07-18
US7671565B2
3.0
38
Audi (5), Panasonic (5), Sinoelectric Powertrain Corp. (5), Volkswagen (3), Renault (2)
8
Battery pack and method for protecting batteries
2006-02-13
US20100188043A1
3.0
20
Cisco (3), Volkswagen (2), Toyota (2), Johnson Controls (1), Denso (1)
1
System for optimizing battery pack cut-off voltage
2009-01-29
US7923144B2
2.5
20
Audi (6), Panasonic (3), Autoliv (2), Mission Motor Company (2), Samsung (1)
1
Tunable frangible battery pack system
2007-03-31
0
Method for interconnection of battery packs and battery assembly containing interconnected battery packs
2006-04-27
Forward Citation Assignee
Self Citations
Title
Filing Date
US7667432B2
3.0
18
Sinoelectric Powertrain Corp. (4), EnerDel Inc. (3), Mission Motor Company (2), General Motors (1)
US20100136402A1
3.0
18
Audi (3), Lithium Energy Japan (3), Bosch (2), Samsung (2),
3
Sealed battery enclosure
2009-04-22
US7890218B2
2.5
16
Ferrari (2), General Motors (1), BMW (1), Porsche (1)
5
Centralized multi-zone cooling for increased battery efficiency
2007-07-18
US20090023056A1
2.5
14
Johnson Controls (3), LG (1), SB LiMotive (1)
1
BATTERY PACK THERMAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
2007-07-18
US7433794B1
2.5
14
Mission Motor Company (3), Panasonic (2), Bosch (1), Smasung (1)
2
Mitigation of propagation of thermal runaway in a multicell battery pack
2007-07-18
US7602145B2
2.5
13
Audi (2), Volkswagen (2), Mission Motor Company (2), Sony (1), Porsche (1)
0
Method of balancing batteries
2006-07-18
Table 4 gives additional details about the technologies addressed by each of the above patents. September 2014
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35
GM Battery Portfolio Growth – via Acquisition and M&A (using Patent Assignment Records)
Key Findings: •
Most of GM’s patents are a result of in-house R&D, with modest contributions from either its M&A activity or acquisitions.
•
Contributions to GM’s patents portfolio come from companies such as Daimler-Chrysler-BMW,
Delco, Hughes Aircraft, and Mitsubishi.
September 2014
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36
Bosch Battery Portfolio Growth - via Acquisition and M&A (using Patent Assignment Records)
Key Findings: •
Bosch has been involved in various joint
ventures (JVs) over the years to develop and manufacture Li-ion batteries for use in hybrid, plug-in hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles. •
Bosch formed a JV with Samsung in 2008 called SB LiMotive. The partnership was dissolved in 2012, as a result of which certain patent assets were assigned to Bosch from both Samsung and SB LiMotive.
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EV Charging Technology - Patent Portfolio Analysis
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EV Charging Technology – Top Patent Holders Smaller Patent Holders
Equivalents
Qualcomm
72
SAIC Motors
60
Kiekert AG
53
RWE
53
Witricity Corp
32
Chargepoint
29
IBM
28
Access Business Group Int LLC
18
Proterra Inc.
17
Key Findings: Includes both automakers and battery manufacturers. • Large automobile manufacturers - Toyota, Honda, and Nissan • Battery manufacturers - Panasonic, Siemens and Samsung
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EV Charging - Tesla vs. Panasonic, Honda, Toyota Key Findings: • Tesla has a greater emphasis in sub-technologies such as charging methods, controlling the state of the charge, and charging station communication interfaces. • The incumbents like Toyota, Panasonic and Honda lead in developing charging connectors, cables and on board vehicle charging systems and methods. Table 10 provides descriptions of the CPC codes displayed.
September 2014
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EV Charging Technology - Filing Trends (Overall)
Key Finding: Patent filing activity shows a significant growth from 2007 onwards.
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EV Charging Technology – Filing Trends (Top holders)
Key Findings: • Patent filings in EV charging technologies dipped for various large players (like Toyota, Honda, Nissan, and General Electric) in the early to middle period of the last decade. Each of these players have ramped up their filings in this area in the last 3-5 years. • Toyota leads in patent filings in this area.
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EV Charging Technology – Filings by Jurisdiction
September 2014
Top patent holders
Filing jurisdictions (indicates markets of interest)
Toyota
U.S., Japan, China, Europe, PCT
Nissan, Honda, Panasonic
U.S., Japan, China, Europe, PCT (relatively fewer filings)
Ford
Great Britain, U.S., China
Hyundai
Korea, U.S., Japan, China
General Motors
U.S., China
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Tesla – EV Charging Portfolio
Key Findings:
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•
Tesla’s charging portfolio is mainly focused on methods and systems for charging the battery safely, time and cost optimization for the user with the flexibility to control the charging, improving battery life by reducing damage during charging and discharging.
•
Tesla also holds patents related to charging station communication interfaces, smart grid integration, as well as fast charging.
•
Table 8 provides descriptions of the CPC codes displayed.
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Tesla - Top Cited EV Charging Patents Publication Number
Relecura Star Rating
Forward Citation Count
US7782021B2
3.0
24
Ford (2), Honda (1), Toyota (1), Panasonic (1), LSIS Co. Ltd (1)
4
Battery charging based on cost and life
2007-07-18
US7629773B2
3.0
19
Toyota (3), Ford (2), Prosche (2), General Motors (1)
3
Multi-mode charging system for an electric vehicle
2009-01-29
US7683570B2
3.0
18
Toyota (2), Chargepoint Inc. (2), Bosch (1), Samsung (1), Panasonic (1)
6
Systems, methods, and apparatus for battery charging
2007-07-18
US8063757B2
2.5
17
Ford (3), Audi (2), Toyota (1), BMW (1), Denso (1), Volkswagen (1)
1
Charge state indicator for an electric vehicle
2007-07-18
US20090140700A1
3.0
17
Toyota (2), BMW (1) , Porsche (1), PSA Peugeot Citroen (1), General electric (1)
1
Multi-mode charging system for an electric vehicle
2009-01-16
US20100138092A1
2.5
16
Advanergy Inc. (6), Lightening Energy (3), Vovlo (1)
1
Battery charging time optimization system
2009-11-05
US8536825B2
2.5
5
General Motors(1), Audi (1), BlackBerry (1)
0
State of charge range
2009-12-31
US8754614B2
2.5
5
Panasonic (2), IBM (1), Mitsubishi (1)
0
Fast charging of battery using adjustable voltage control
2009-07-17
Forward Citation Assignees
Self Citations
Title
Filing Date
Table 9 provides additional details of the patents listed above. September 2014
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Tesla’s Key Technology - “Fast Charging” Patents Publication Number
Filing Date
Relecura Star Rating
Title
•
Tesla promotes its proprietary “Fast Charging” technology for quick recharge.
2009-07-17
Fast charging of battery using adjustable voltage control
2009-09-30
Low temperature charging of Liion cells
US8638063B2
2010-10-13
AC current control of mobile battery chargers
2.5
US20110156661A1
2009-12-31
Fast charging with negative ramped current profile
2.5
Low temperature fast charge
2.0
US8754614B2
US8552693B2
US20130234648A1
2012-03-09
2.5
•
Tesla’s charging stations deliver up to 120 kW, which can replenish half a charge in as little as 20 minutes. It works
2.5
by delivering DC power directly to the battery by using special cables that bypass the onboard charging equipment. •
Tesla designs and builds all of the key components for the battery system, including the chargers, the electronics for monitoring the battery pack, and the battery cooling system.
US20130307475A1
2012-05-18
Charge rate optimization
2.5
•
“Superchargers”, which are small and light weight, are used to enable fast charging.
US20140121866A1
September 2014
2012-10-31
Fast charge mode for extended trip
2.5
Tesla’s webpage and FAQ for “Fast Charging”
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List of Tables Links lead to PDF with detailed tables. Table Number
Title
1
EV technology categorization and classification codes for each category.
2
Description of CPC codes listed in Topic Map comparison of the Tesla and Panasonic patent portfolios.
3
Description of the CPC codes listed in Topic Map of Tesla’s battery portfolio.
4
List of the top ten forward cited patents from Tesla’s battery portfolio.
5
Description of CPC codes listed in the Topic Map comparison of the battery portfolios of Tesla with the large automakers Nissan, Honda and Toyota.
6
Description of the CPC codes listed in the Topic Map comparison of the battery portfolios of Tesla with other battery manufacturers Mitsubishi, Hitachi and Bosch.
7
Description of the CPC codes listed in Topic Map comparison of the Lithium battery portfolio of Tesla with other patent holders.
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8
Description of CPC codes listed in the Topic Map of Tesla’s charging portfolio.
9
List of the top ten forward cited patents from Tesla’s charging portfolio.
10
Description of the CPC codes listed in the Topic Map comparison of the portfolios of Tesla, Toyota, Honda, and Panasonic addressing charging technology.
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Disclaimer This document is provided for information purposes only and the contents hereof are subject to change without notice. This document, including the information and analysis and any opinion or recommendation, is neither legal advice nor intended for investment purposes. This document is not warranted to be error-free, nor subject to any other warranties or conditions, whether expressed orally or implied in law, including implied warranties and conditions of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Relecura Inc. specifically disclaims any liability with respect to this document and no contractual obligations are formed either directly or indirectly by this document.
Relecura is a web-based patent and portfolio analysis platform that uses a knowledge discovery framework to simplify IP analysis for prior-art search, technology landscaping, competitive intelligence, and IP commercialization activities. For more details visit www.relecura.com or write to
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