Translate in another language

IP in the world of EVs

IP in the world of EVs
Photo by Michael Fousert / Unsplash

 

Every technological development proceeds with periodic plateaus punctuated by swift innovation. A new normal arises when a convergence of symbiotic technology plateaus occurs. Between 1815 to 1915, the horse and carriage represented the technology plateau of personal transportation in many parts of the world. The modern combustion engine profited from a critical mass that arose to overtake established business models through the convergence of many technological areas, displacing horses with horsepower.

 

A series of technology plateaus are, once again, converging to disrupt established business models, and this time it's Electric Vehicles (EVs). Elon Musk, the owner of SpaceX and Tesla, the wealthiest man globally, has become the epitome of innovation and success. In 2017, global sales of electric vehicles broke the one million threshold, while Musk tweeted on 9th March, 2020 that Tesla Inc. had rolled its millionth electric vehicle off the assembly line. 

Indian Scenario

 

EVs embrace a vast range of technologies such as electric motors, batteries, chargers, etc. Intellectual property (especially patents) plays a significant role in safeguarding these innovative technologies. Patents protect these new innovative products and processes by granting them a legal monopoly in return for public disclosure of an invention. The Indian Patent Act 1970 gives protection to these inventions for a limited period of 20 years, subject to payment of renewal fees. However, the patent owner can exploit their invention for those 20 years. Not just patents but other IP rights such as trademarks, designs, and trade secrets also play an essential role in protecting EVs.

 

The first EV in the world goes back to the 18th century when Robert Anderson developed the first crude electric vehicle in 1832, but it wasn't until the 1870s that electric cars became practical.

 

However, in India, the first electric vehicle was invented by Scooters India Pvt Ltd in 1996 and was named Vikram Safa. In 2000, BHEL developed an eighteen-seater electric bus, which became popular. Although these inventions did not do that well in the market, they offered a high cost and low life of the vehicle's battery.

 

But, due to the environmental harm caused by emissions from gas cars, the interest in EVs has begun to increase. In 2007, in partnership with a UK-based ULTRA Motor, Hero Cycles launched a series of bikes that also got popular among other automobile companies. Hence, the transition.

 

The EV market in India is worth $328.6 million and is expected to grow 90%, amounting to $206 billion in 2030. EV retail sales in 2021-2022 reached 4,29,217 units (including 2W, 3W & 4W), a threefold increase from 1,34,821 units in 2020-2021.

A total number of 529 patents were filed related to Electric Vehicles from 2001 to 2021 in India. Patent filing peaked in the year 2014 with 75+ patents. Moreover, Honda motors have dominated the EV patents in the Indian Market. It has around 400 patents related to batteries and leads the EV space with 75 patent applications, followed by Toyota Group with 60 patents related to EVs. The two biggest two-wheeler manufacturers in India, TVS and Hero MotoCorp, remained behind filing patent applications with less than ten patents. 

In 2015, there were around 135 patents. The period of 2014 to 2017 accounted for about 70% of the total number of patents published in India. Moreover, during the pandemic patent office published 90 patents from 2020-2021 (EV Reporter, August 2021)

The pandemic has drastically transformed the way we live, and it continues to push our boundaries to adapt to the change. The present patent trends in the development of EVs depict that many countries, such as those in Europe and Asia, are furthering their efforts to innovate to reach environmental goals. The growth of the EV market has led to an increase in technological innovations, which is also due to efforts by many governments to lessen the carbon emissions from vehicles. An increase in innovations in the EV sector has also led to an increase in patent filing activity related to EVs. According to a World Intellectual Property Indicators report 2021, the global patent has seen a surge of 1.6%, and India ranks 9th in the patent filing. Patents will play a critical role in shaping India's future mobility and sustenance from an IP opportunities perspective. We will see a lot of patents being filed across motors, controllers, batteries, chargers, etc., for EVs.

 

As the EV sector evolves, the traditional IP issues which have been present for decades will be just as important as newer issues involving data, software, and Artificial Intelligence. Protecting these elements of new vehicles through IP registrations will be important irrespective of any shift from car ownership to shared mobility.

Although the government is aggressively promoting EV adoption in India, the inadequate infrastructure and high upfront cost are causing significant hindrances to its mass production that can be dealt with novel solutions through technological innovations and protecting those innovations via the intellectual property (IP).

 

Three Facts about EV's in India

· Uttar Pradesh has the most EV registrations at 276,2177 vehicles on the road.

· EVs contribute to only 0.29% of the overall vehicle registrations in India.

· India's first electric car named "Lovebird" was launched in 1993 by Eddy Electric.

Top EV Applicants in India (EV Reporter, 2021)

Great! You’ve successfully signed up.

Welcome back! You've successfully signed in.

You've successfully subscribed to IP Wave.

Success! Check your email for magic link to sign-in.

Success! Your billing info has been updated.

Your billing was not updated.