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28 May 2015Patents

Ford offers electric car patents to competitors

(This story has been corrected since it was first published. Please see below.)

Car maker Ford has revealed it wants to license patents covering electric vehicle technology to its competitors in an attempt to boost the electric car market.

Ford confirmed its intention in a statement today (May 28).

The patents, which are all registered in the US, include technology covering battery charging, an energy saving brake system and a machine for monitoring driving behaviour.

In total, the company has 650 US patents and more than 1,000 pending applications.

Last year, Ford applied for more than 400 patents covering electric car technology, which made up 20% of the 2,000 applications it filed at the USPTO in 2014.

Ford currently markets six models of either hybrid or fully electric cars including the Ford Focus Electric, Ford Fusion Hybrid and Ford C-MAX Hybrid.

In the statement, Ford said sharing its patents “will promote faster development of future inventions as all automakers look toward greater opportunities”.

Parties looking to use the technology can either contact Ford’s licensing office or AutoHarvest, a licensing marketplace that works with Ford.

Kevin Layden, director of Ford’s electrification programmes, said: “The way to provide the best technology is through constant development and progress.

“By sharing our research with other companies, we will accelerate the growth of electrified vehicle technology and deliver even better products to customers.”

Ford is not the first the car maker to make its patents available to competitors.

In January, Toyota offered nearly 6,000 hydrogen fuel cell patents in a bid to popularise the manufacturing of hydrogen powered cars, although it offered to license them for free.

And in June last year, Tesla made its entire patent portfolio covering technology used in its electric cars available for free.

(CORRECTION at 15.31pm BST: This story initially said that Ford would make the patents available royalty free; however, it is seeking a fee.)

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