Sustainable Propulsion
Sustainable Propulsion systems are critical in addressing the pressing issues of climate change, air pollution and energy security within the transport sector. The transition from fossil fuels to cleaner alternatives is essential in order to mitigate the negative impacts of traditional internal combustion engines.
Battery-powered electric vehicles (BEVs) are at the forefront of this transition. This is reflected in the significant rise in patenting activity in both battery and electric propulsion (electric motors, gearings etc.) technologies. Patent family publications for batteries in mobility applications have risen from around 3,000 in 2000 to almost 41,000 in 2023. For electric propulsion, patenting activity increased from around 900 in 2000 to 11,900 in 2023 (Figure A19). BEVs offer significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, improved air quality and reduced dependence on fossil fuels. However, challenges, such as battery range and recharging infrastructure need to be further improved for an even more widespread adoption.
Another important research field within Sustainable Propulsion is hydrogen / fuel cell-powered vehicles (FCEVs). Patent family publications in this technology area have expanded from around 850 to more than 4,500 between 2000 and 2023. Hydrogen-powered vehicles offer an alternative to BEVs. A key advantage compared Hydrogen vehicles offer an alternative to BEVs. A key advantage they have over BEVs is a longer range. However, there are still a number of challenges to their widespread adoption. For example, the infrastructure for hydrogen production, storage and distribution is still in its infancy, leading to higher costs and limited availability. In addition, FCEVs require multiple energy conversion steps – from electricity to hydrogen production, hydrogen storage and transport, and finally electricity generation from the fuel cell – resulting in lower overall energy efficiency compared to BEVs. Despite these hurdles, fuel cell vehicles hold promise for certain niche applications, such as heavy-duty trucks and buses, for which range and payload are critical.
In addition, technological advances in sustainable fuels, for example, biofuels derived from organic matter such as plants, synthetic fuels made from water, carbon dioxide and renewable energy and LNG, continue to be explored. These renewable fuels can be blended with conventional fuels or used as direct replacements with minor modifications. However, the production process of synthetic fuels is energy intensive and the infrastructure for the production and distribution of synthetic fuels still in its infancy. Patenting activity in this area is lower than for BEVs or FCEVs, with only 463 patent families published in 2023.
Looking at the compound annual growth rates over different time periods (Figure A20), innovation activity was dynamic in all subgroups between 2000 and 2019, but growth rates have been mixed from 2020 onward. Whereas the number of patent families in hydrogen/fuel cells and batteries continues to grow dynamically, patenting activity in electric propulsion and sustainable carbon-based fuels has declined somewhat over the last three years.
Figure A21 shows that inventors from Japan and China were responsible for most patent family publications. However, patent growth in China has been much stronger than in Japan. India, Sweden, Belgium and Italy have achieved even more dynamic patent growth rates than China since 2018.
In terms of RSI score, Germany is the highest ranked country, indicating an above average degree of specialization in Sustainable Propulsion technologies.
A closer look at RSI values over different time periods for a broader group of countries shows again the high relevance of the automotive industry to Germany (Figure A22). The country has increased its RSI from 0.1 to 0.5 since 2000. Other countries with a very high RSI scores are Austria, Sweden, the Republic of Korea, France and Japan.
An analysis of the top research countries in the different Sustainable Propulsion subgroups reveals the following key findings (Figure A23):
China is the technology leader in electric propulsion technologies with more than 44,000 patent families published between 2000 and 2023. Japan follows in second place (31,126 patent families).
The United States and China have developed and published most patent families in sustainable fuels.
Japan is the clear innovation leader in hydrogen/fuel cell research.
Toyota Motor, Panasonic Holdings and Honda Motor have published the most patent families in Sustainable Propulsion technologies (Figure A24). In terms of patent growth, Chinese battery maker CATL has achieved by far the highest patent growth rates since 2018. Almost all top patent holders also have a very high RSI scores, the only exceptions being Panasonic, Hitachi and State Grid Corp of China.
The top research players in the four subgroups are as follows (Figure A25):
Toyota Motor is the research leader in terms of patent family publications in batteries, electric propulsion and hydrogen/fuel cells.
BMW is at the top of the ranking for research into sustainable fuels.
Automation and Circularity
Automation and Circularity is a key technology trend reshaping land transport. Robotics, a cornerstone of automation, has long been an integral part of car manufacturing, with assembly lines relying heavily on robotic precision and speed. In addition, circularity principles are increasingly being applied to addressing the environmental impact of transport. By designing vehicles and their components with end-of-life recyclability in view, manufacturers can minimize waste and conserve resources.
Smart production is the main area of research within Automation and Circularity technologies. This is reflected in the significant increase in patenting activity in this area over the past few decades. Patent family publications for smart production technologies, such as industrial robots, smart factory and predictive maintenance, have increased from around 880 in 2000 to more than 14,000 in 2023 (Figure A26).
The number of patent families in the area of efficient material use (including additive manufacturing, use of biopolymers and climate-efficient metal processing) has also increased significantly from 136 patent families in 2000 to around 1,450 in 2023.
Research efforts into recycling are also growing dynamically. From 197 patent family publications in 2000 to almost 2,000 in 2023, patenting activity has increased particularly in the last 10 years.
Contrary to the development of the other technology trends, the innovation dynamic of Automation and Circularity has not slowed since 2020; indeed, patent family publications in recycling and efficient use of materials have even accelerated since then.
Figure A28 shows that inventors from China are responsible for by far the most patent family publications, followed by the United States , Japan, the Republic of Korea and Germany. Additionally, patent growth in China has been stronger than in any other top research country.
In terms of the RSI, India, Sweden and Germany are the highest ranked countries, indicating an above-average degree of specialisation in Automation and Circularity technologies.
A closer look at RSI values over different time periods for a broader group of countries shows the high relevance of the automotive industry to Sweden and Germany (Figure A29). Both these countries have maintained a very high RSI value since 2000.
An analysis of the top research countries in the different Automation and Circularity subgroups reveals the following key findings (Figure A30):
China is the technology leader in all three Automation and Circularity subgroups.
Japan and the United States have published many patent families on efficient material use, particularly in additive manufacturing technology.
Japan has also undertaken significant research into recycling technologies related to land transport.
Toyota Motors, Hitachi, Honda Motor, Bosch and Siemens are the top research companies in Automation and Circularity in land transport in terms of patenting activity (Figure A31). However, China's Changan Automobile Group has had by far the fastest patent growth rate since 2018. Most top patent holders also have a high RSI score, the exceptions being Panasonic Holdings, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and State Grid Corp of China.
The top research players in the three subgroups are as follows (Figure A32):
Toyota Motor is the research leader in terms of patent family publications in smart production technologies.
Toyota Motor is also a key research player in recycling technologies, only behind the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Sumitomo Metal Mining and Nippon Steel have published the most patent families in efficient material use.
Communication and Security
Communication and Security technologies are fundamental to the development of modern land transport systems. They underpin the development of advanced driver assistance systems and autonomous vehicles, and are essential for traffic management, optimizing traffic flow and reducing congestion. In this connected landscape, protecting sensitive vehicle and driver data from cyber-attacks is critical.
For the purpose of this report, Communication and Security technologies consist of the following five sub-categories: device-to-device communication, navigation, cloud, cybersecurity, and low-latency communication.
Navigation is by far the most important of these subgroups in terms of patent family publications. The number of patent family publications in this area has increased from around 2,200 in 2000 to around 25,500 in 2023 (Figure A33). The field of navigation includes several different technologies such as GPS, lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) and vehicle vision. Lidar uses laser pulses to create a 3D map of the environment, enabling vehicles to detect objects and obstacles. Vehicle vision, based on cameras and image processing, complements lidar by providing colour information and context. Together, these technologies enable advanced driver assistance systems and autonomous vehicles.
Research activities in device-to-device communication and cloud technologies have also increased significantly. Device-to-device communication enables direct communication between vehicles, infrastructure and pedestrians. By sharing information, vehicles can work together to avoid accidents and optimize traffic flow. By harnessing the power of cloud computing, transport systems can collect, store and analyze vast amounts of data gathered from connected vehicles, infrastructure and passengers. Annual patent family publications in device-to-device communication expanded from 1,300 to 7,200 between 2000 and 2023, while patenting activity in cloud technologies rose from only 55 in 2000 to almost 6,500 in 2023 (Figure A34).
Patenting activity in cybersecurity and low-latency communications is lower than in the other three subgroups, but the number of patents has also grown dynamically. The number of cybersecurity patent family publications in land transport applications increased from just 62 in 2000 to more than 1,400 in 2023. Robust encryption, authentication and intrusion detection systems are essential to ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of information exchanged between vehicles and infrastructure. The number of annual patent family publications in low-latency communications has increased from 100 to more than 2,000 since 2000. Low-latency communication ensures near instantaneous data exchange between vehicles, infrastructure and other road users. This is essential for applications like autonomous driving, for which real-time decision-making is paramount. Technologies like 5G provide the low latency required for such applications.
Looking at compound annual growth rates over different time periods, innovation activity was dynamic in all five subgroups between 2000 and 2019, but growth rates have been mixed from 2020 onward (Figure A34). Whereas the number of patent families in cloud technologies continues to grow dynamically, patenting activity in low-latency communication has declined over the last three years.
Figure A35 shows that inventors from Japan, China and the United States were responsible for most patent families. However, patent growth in China has been much stronger than in any other country since 2018. Nonetheless, China's RSI is slightly negative, indicating a below average specialization in communication and security technologies. In contrast, Germany, Sweden and Israel have the highest RSI scores.
A closer look at RSI values over different time periods for a broader group of countries shows again the high relevance of the automotive industry to Germany's research efforts (Figure A36). This country has increased its RSI in Communication and Security technologies for land transport from 0.3 to 0.6 since 2000. Other countries with very high RSI values are Sweden, Israel and the United States. In contrast, the Russian Federation clearly has the lowest relative specialization in research, although its RSI has increased over the past two decades.
An analysis of the top research countries in the different Communication and Security subgroups reveals the following key findings (Figure A37):
China and the United States have developed and published most patent families in cyber security for land transport applications.
China, the United States and the Republic of Korea are the innovation leaders in low-latency communication research.
Japan has a strong research position in navigation technologies.
The Japanese carmaker Toyota Motor, the Japanese auto parts supplier Denso and the German auto parts supplier Bosch published the most patent families in Communication and Security technologies (Figure A38). Since 2018, Toyota Motor, Kia and Hyundai have achieved the highest patent growth rates. The majority of top patent holders have a very high RSI score, the exceptions being the large electronics conglomerates Panasonic, Hitachi, Mitsubishi Electric and Samsung Electronics.
The top research players in the five subgroups are as follows (Figure A39):
Toyota Motor and Denso are the research leaders in terms of patent family publications in navigation technologies.
Toyota Motor is also at the top spot for device-to-device communication research activities.
Intel, Bosch and Panasonic Holdings are at the top of the ranking for cyber security research in land transport applications.
Intel and Ford Motor have published most patent families in cloud technologies.
Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are technology leaders in low-latency communication.
Human–Machine Interface
Advanced Human–Machine Interfaces (HMIs) are significantly improving land transport, by making interactions more intuitive, safer and more responsive, thereby ensuring a safe, efficient and enjoyable driving experience.
Patenting activity has been particularly strong in Virtual Reality (VR)/Augmented Reality (AR)/metaverse technologies
As a result, patenting activity in recent years indicates a shift in research priorities away from head-up displays and touch displays/data gloves toward the development of more immersive and intuitive VR/AR/metaverse applications and further advances in facial and speech recognition.
Looking at the compound annual growth rates over different time periods, we can again see that the fields of VR/AR/metaverse and facial recognition have seen the strongest and most consistent increase in research activity (Figure 41). In contrast, patent growth rates for head-up displays and touch displays/data gloves have turned negative over recent years.
The country comparison in the field of HMI technologies in land transport applications shows the size of patent family publications at country level (size of bubbles), the compound annual patent growth rates between 2018 and 2023 and the relative specialisation index (RSI) for the whole period analysed, 2000 to 2023.
The resulting graph shows that inventors from Japan, China and the US are responsible for most patent families. Germany and the Republic of Korea are other relevant research locations. Patent growth since 2018 has been highest in China, Finland and Italy.
In terms of RSI, Germany, India and the United States show a high level of specialisation in HMI technologies.
A closer look at the RSI values over the different time periods for a broader group of countries reveals the above-average specialisation of the US and Germany. Both countries have increased their RSI values significantly since 2000. In general, RSI values have increased in almost all countries since 2000, showing the increasing importance of HMI in land transport.
An analysis of the top research countries in the different HMI subgroups reveals the following key findings:
Japan is the technology leader in both touch display/data gloves and head-up displays.
China clearly ranks first in terms of patenting activity in speech recognition.
China and the US lead the ranking in face recognition and VR/AR/Metaverse.
Japanese car supplier Denso is by far the largest patent holder in HMI technologies in land transport application, ahead of Toyota Motor and Volkswagen.
US chip company Nvidia leads the growth ranking since 2018, ahead of Tencent Holdings.
Most top patent holders also have high RSI scores, the only exceptions being Panasonic Holdings, Bosch and Huawei.
The top research players in the five sub-groups are as follows:
Denso is the research leader touch displays / data gloves in terms of patent families published.
Japanese display manufacturer Nippon Seiki is the top researcher in head-up displays, just ahead of Denso.
Samsung Electronics ranks first in speech recognition patent families.
Korea's LG Electronics leads in VR/AR/Metaverse patenting activity.
The two US chip companies Intel and Nvidia and the Chinese gaming giant Tencent are among the top research companies in both face recognition and VR/AR/Meta in land transport applications.
