Patent Competition
Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors, the first companies in the world to have tried to mass-produce hydrogen-powered vehicles, are falling behind in the patent competition for hydrogen-powered vehicles.
According to the automobile industry on Feb. 2, as of November last year, General Motors (GM) held 980 patents related to hydrogen-powered vehicles, ranking top in the number of relevant patents in the U.S. Honda held 799 patents, ranking 2nd, while Toyota held 685 patents, ranking 3rd. Nissan and Ford took 4th and 5th place, holding 218 and 133 patents, respectively. Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors held 126 patents and came in 6th.
German automobile manufacturers had fewer patents than Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors. Daimler, which has the advantage in diesel technology, held 116 patents, while BMW and Volkswagen held 18 and 7 patents, respectively.
When a company has more patents, it is more likely to have technical leadership in the future. Therefore, Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors should make more efforts towards R&D.
Also, major automakers are strengthening their control in hydrogen-powered vehicle technology by reorganization. Ford, Daimler, and Nissan will together mass produce a hydrogen-powered vehicle in 2017. Toyota will release a hydrogen-powered vehicle in 2020, being provided with lightweight technology from BMW.
Moreover, GM, which holds the largest number of patents in the U.S., will release a joint development model with Honda in 2020. Currently, only Hyundai Motor and Volkswagen are developing hydrogen-powered vehicles independently.