Increase in Patent Applications for Electric Power Services to Promote Electric Vehicle Adoption

Graph of annual electric vehicle-related power service patent applications from 2007 to 2019. Provided by the Korean Intellectual Property Office.

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] As of March, the number of registered electric vehicles in South Korea has surpassed 100,000. Along with the activation of electric vehicle distribution, patent applications in the power service sector equipped in electric vehicles are also showing an increasing trend.

According to the Korean Intellectual Property Office on the 6th, patent applications related to power services for electric vehicles increased from 3 cases in 2008 to an average of 31 cases annually between 2017 and 2019.

This is interpreted as a result of the activation of applications for power services related to electric vehicles, starting with the first development of a domestically produced electric vehicle in 2009, combined with eco-friendly industrial policies that have expanded the distribution of electric vehicles.

From 2007 to 2019, the proportion of patent applications by applicant type was highest for small and medium-sized enterprises (29.6%), large corporations and public enterprises (28.3%), individuals (22.1%), universities and research institutes (15.6%), and foreign companies (4.2%), in that order.

In particular, it was confirmed that the proportion of patent applications by domestic companies is relatively higher than that of foreign companies. This is interpreted as domestic companies focusing on technology development to secure a leading position in the electric vehicle power service market while increasing the number of patents.

During the same period, by technology field, battery charging and billing technology accounted for the highest proportion at 73.6%, followed by the sale and sharing of surplus electric vehicle battery power to charging stations or other electric vehicles at 15.6%, and provision of charging value-added services at 10.7%.

Im Young-hee, head of the Electric Examination Division at the Korean Intellectual Property Office, emphasized, “The electric vehicle-related power service market is considered a field with high growth potential in the future,” adding, “Reflecting this trend, it is important for the industry to establish patent strategies linked to business models and products and to secure intellectual property rights early to gain a competitive advantage in the market.”