BYD Electric Vehicle Patent Applications Total 1,557
Toyota Motor Cites 103 Patents
Blade Battery Technology Draws Industry Attention
Projected Total Sales This Year Rank Second Worldwide
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] China’s top electric vehicle manufacturer BYD is drawing global attention in the automotive industry by showing strength in electric vehicle-related patent applications, Nihon Keizai reported on the 7th.
Based on data from IP Landscape, an intellectual property consulting firm, Nihon Keizai analyzed the number of electric vehicle patent applications from four Chinese automakers. BYD has filed 1,557 patents to date, which is a staggering 1.8 times more than Geely Automobile’s 870 patents, ranking second. Chery Automobile and Shanghai Automotive followed with 640 and 448 patents, respectively.
BYD also dominated in overseas patent filings. Of its total patents, 171 (11%) were filed in Europe, 139 (8.9%) in the United States, and 49 (3.1%) in Japan. Geely filed 58 patents (6.1%) in Europe and 33 patents (3.8%) in the U.S. out of its 870 patents.
Toyota Motor Corporation was identified as the company that utilized BYD’s patents the most. Toyota used 103 of BYD’s patents, a citation count comparable to Tesla’s 146. Recognizing BYD’s advanced technology, Toyota unveiled the electric vehicle 'bZ3' last month, developed jointly with BYD.
Nihon Keizai stated, "BYD is actively recruiting talent, including hiring designers from Germany’s Audi, and is vigorously filing patents. The number of patent applications, which reached 203 in 2016, increased to a total of 349 in 2020."
The automotive industry is particularly focused on BYD’s 'Blade Battery' technology. The blade battery, based on lithium iron phosphate (LFP), offers advantages over lithium-ion batteries, which are strong in Korea and Japan, by being cheaper and providing longer driving range. Toyota plans to equip the 'bZ3' electric vehicle, co-produced with BYD, with this battery.
As BYD continues to make remarkable technological advances, market forecasts predict a shift in the global electric vehicle sales rankings this year. According to Nihon Keizai, BYD is expected to rank second worldwide in total electric vehicle sales this year, following Tesla. In the Chinese market, BYD has already surpassed Tesla by selling over 200,000 units for two consecutive months.
Akira Yamauchi, CEO of IP Landscape, said, "BYD is also gaining attention for patents related to safety and temperature control technologies. With the technology it has cultivated so far, it is likely to establish a strong presence in the global market."
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