Electric Vehicle (EV) Technology - Relecura

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.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


18

EV Technologies - Tesla vs. The Rest Portfolio Counts and Ranks

Electric Vehicles (overall) Patent Holder

Battery

Charging

Lithium Battery

Number of Equivalents

Ranking


Ranking


Ranking


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


• 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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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.

September 2014


37

EV Charging Technology - Patent Portfolio Analysis

September 2014


38

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

September 2014


39

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


40

EV Charging Technology - Filing Trends (Overall)

Key Finding: Patent filing activity shows a significant growth from 2007 onwards.

September 2014


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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.

September 2014


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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:

September 2014


•

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


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


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.

September 2014

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 [email protected].

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September 2014


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