For decades, the German automotive industry has focused its innovative strength on the combustion engine. But a current evaluation of the patent applications indicates a paradigm shift.
In addition to current registration numbers, an evaluation of patent applications now published by the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA) documents the advance of e-mobility. According to this, new patents for internal combustion engine innovations at the DPMA and the European Patent Office in the field of vehicle drive technology have fallen by 2020 percent compared to 2019. In the case of electric drives and batteries, on the other hand, there was an increase of 15 and 7,8 percent, respectively. In the case of fuel cell technology, the already few registrations in absolute numbers fell by 20,1 percent in 2020. Registrations from Germany dominated in all areas.