The United States Patent and Trademark Office awarded Toyota more patents than any other automaker in 2021, as it registers its innovations in electric vehicle batteries, automated driving systems and AI.

The latest annual ranking by the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO) shows Toyota’s engineers and scientists were granted a total of 2,753 patents in 2021 with many in battery research to support vehicle electrification plus other categories, including but not limited to automated driving systems, hardware, software, AI, materials and other mobility-related inventions.

This is the eighth consecutive year that Toyota has been the highest ranked automaker in this study. 

“We are delighted to be recognised as a global technology leader as evidenced by the many patents issued to Toyota,” said Sandra Phillips-Rogers, general counsel, chief legal officer and chief diversity officer for Toyota Motor North America. “The number of issued patents is a testament to Toyota’s vast R&D efforts and the team members who bring these technologies to life.” 

“This year’s patent list represents our efforts with respect to vehicle electrification, as evidenced by pioneering battery technology, as well as new IP to support Toyota’s transition into a mobility company,” added Frederick Mau, intellectual property counsel and director of patent licensing for Toyota Motor North America. 

Toyota says it continues to invest in innovative research and development (R&D) and has been the automotive leader for numerous years. Toyota says it invests over $1 million (approx £750,000) per hour in emerging technology globally and has invested over $1 billion (nearly £750 million) in R&D related to automated vehicles and robotics since 2017. 

(Picture – Toyota)