Toyota is freeing up the technology behind some 24,000 patents from around the world that it now holds on hybrid and electric vehicles.
The Japanese automaker said it hopes it will help spur development of hybrids and battery-electric vehicles.
Toyota said it will grant royalty-free licenses on the thousands of patents it holds (including some pending applications) for vehicle electrification-related technologies. In addition, Toyota will provide fee-based technical support to other manufacturers developing and selling electrified vehicles when they use Toyota’s motors, batteries, PCUs, control ECUs and other vehicle electrification system technologies as part of their powertrain systems.
“Based on the high volume of inquiries we receive about our vehicle electrification systems from companies that recognize a need to popularize hybrid and other electrified vehicle technologies, we believe that now is the time for cooperation,” said Shigeki Terashi, member of the Board and executive vice president of Toyota Motor Corp.
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“If the number of electrified vehicles accelerates significantly in the next 10 years, they will become standard, and we hope to play a role in supporting that process,” he said.
By granting royalty-free patents and providing technical support on its vehicle electrification systems, Toyota hopes to help further promote the widespread use of electrified vehicles, and in so doing, help governments, automakers and society at large accomplish goals related to climate change.
Before Tesla came along, Toyota’s emphasis on hybrid technology helped the company develop a reputation as the world’s most environmentally friendly automaker.
The royalty-free patents include advanced technologies found in electrified vehicles, particularly those used in hybrid electric vehicles that have helped Toyota realize enhanced performance, reduced size, and cost reductions.
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More specifically, the patents included are for parts and systems, such as electric motors, power control units that can be applied to the development of various types of electrified vehicles including plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and fuel-cell electric vehicles.
Toyota has offered access to its patented technology to competitors in the past. Since 2015, it has offered access to 5,680 patents related to its fuel cell electric vehicles.
As for the fee-based technical support Toyota will offer, specifics include providing overviews of vehicle electrification systems, control guides, and detailed explanations of tuning guides for vehicles that will utilize its systems.
The guidance that Toyota will provide, for example, includes helping other automakers to achieve high-level product performance in terms of fuel efficiency, output and quietness for the vehicles they are working to develop. The services will be contract-based.
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Toyota sees the development of electrified vehicles a top-priority management issue based on its belief that environmentally conscious vehicles will contribute to the fight against climate change only if they are widely used.
