Toyota Is Offering Free Access To 24,000 Patents Around Electric Vehicles To Other Car Makers
The transition to battery electric vehicles has been a roller coaster ride for many established auto makers. One necessary bridge that almost all of them had to cross for this is of hybrid vehicles.
To make this transition easier, Toyota is now extending a helping hand to all of them, providing this bridge straight up on a platter.
How? Toyota has now announced that it will give royalty-free access to its nearly 24,000 patents around vehicle electrification technology and systems for use until 2030. The move is in line with Toyota’s earlier decision of offering 5,680 patents related to its fuel cell electric vehicles back in 2015.
Rings any bells? Yes, it is a similar step to the one that Tesla took in its initial years. In fact, even the reason for doing this is pretty much the same. The Japanese auto maker wants others to follow suit and help bring in the transition to electric vehicles a bit earlier than expected.
As per Toyota, the patents are that of core technologies for the production of various types of electric vehicles, including hybrids, plug-in hybrids as well as fuel cell electric vehicles. In addition to the access to patents, the company will also offer technical support to those aiming to use them in the production of their EV systems. The support, however, will come for a fee.
Toyota is gunning for a “sustainable mobility” future with this, as having been in the business, it understands the resources, financial, human and others needed for the development of such a technology. By providing it to others for free, it essentially wants others to develop on the existing systems and not waste their time reaching the same stage as Toyota after years of research and development. And in doing so, Toyota wants to “help governments, automakers, and society at large accomplish goals related to climate change.”
Toyota has been a front runner in the EV race since long now. The company came out with its first hybrid car – the Prius back in 1997 and since then, has sold 13 million plus hybrid vehicles globally. Patents from the firm are hence sure to help those looking to embrace the hybrid/ electric vehicle technology.
Shigeki Terashi, member of the board and executive vice president of Toyota Motor Corporation said, “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.”
The end goal? “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,” Terashi clarified. So as and when the Toyota patents are used by other auto makers, a boost to the transition to EVs is undeniable and as per its plan, Toyota will have a considerable role to play in it.
Source: indiatimes
