Alkaline Fuel Cell for Industrial Plants Patent Landscape
Alkaline Fuel Cell for Industrial Plants Patent Landscape in 2026
The alkaline fuel cell for industrial plants patent space is extremely narrow, comprising only 4 patent families, and is heavily concentrated around a small cluster of legacy applicants led by Energy Conversion Devices Inc and Tactical Fuel Cells. Activity was essentially dormant through 2022, with a minor pulse in 2023–2024 that remains subject to publication lag.
A highly concentrated niche dominated by two legacy applicants
Energy Conversion Devices Inc leads all filers with 19 patent records, followed closely by Tactical Fuel Cells with 18 patent records — together accounting for the overwhelming majority of activity in this space.
The top five filers hold 90% of the combined total across the hundred largest filers, signalling an extreme concentration with virtually no mid-tier presence. The gap between the top two and the rest is sharp: Ovonic Fuel Cell Co LLC ranks third with only 4 patent records.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Energy Conversion Devices Inc | 19 | |
| 2 | Tactical Fuel Cells | 18 | |
| 3 | Ovonic Fuel Cell Co LLC | 4 | |
| 4 | Chevron Technology Ventures LLC | 2 | |
| 5 | Dr. Herng-Shinn Hwang | 1 | |
| 6 | Herng-Shinn Hwang | 1 | |
| 7 | Stanford R. Ovshinsky | 1 | |
| 8 | Girish Mandakolathur Krishnamurthi | 1 | |
| 9 | Ovonic Hydrogen Systems | 1 | |
| 10 | Texaco Ovonic Fuel Cell | 1 |
The dominance of Energy Conversion Devices Inc and its affiliated entities (Ovonic Fuel Cell Co LLC, Ovonic Hydrogen Systems, Texaco Ovonic Fuel Cell) suggests the bulk of foundational IP originates from a single technology lineage, limiting the diversity of independent approaches in the field.
The most recent 18–24 months of filings are subject to standard publication lag and should be treated as provisional; apparent zero counts in 2025–2026 do not indicate the field is inactive. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Minimal recent activity and a hardware-chemistry technology mix
The annual filing trend and technology composition charts together reveal a field with negligible recent momentum and a patent portfolio concentrated in electrochemical hardware and inorganic materials science.
Annual filing trend
Filings were zero from 2017 through 2022, with a small uptick of 3 records in 2023 and 1 in 2024; 2025 and 2026 show zero counts that reflect publication lag rather than confirmed inactivity. The overall pattern indicates a dormant or very mature niche with sporadic recent re-engagement.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H01M (batteries, cells and fuel cells) is the dominant IPC class with 46 patent records, followed by C01B (non-metallic elements and inorganic compounds) at 26 and C22C (alloys) at 16. Lower-share classes including B60L (electric vehicle propulsion) at 10 and C10L (fuels and firelighters) at 5 indicate adjacent applications beyond pure industrial stationary use.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaHighly cited patent families surfaced by the query
Citation-heavy patent families returned by the query. Use this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents.
Alkaline fuel cell
A fuel cell which has the ability to start up instantly and can accept recaptured energy such as that of regenerative braking by operating in reverse as an electrolyzer. The instant startup fuel cells have increased efficiency and power availability (higher voltage and current) and a dramatic improvement in operating temperature range of about -20 to 150° C. (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Regenerative bipolar fuel cell | 82 |
| 2 | Hybrid fuel cell | 63 |
| 3 | Very low emission hybrid electric vehicle incorpor… | 55 |
| 4 | Alkaline fuel cell | 54 |
| 5 | Very low emission hybrid electric vehicle incorpor… | 41 |
| 6 | Catalytic hydrogen storage composite material and … | 39 |
| 7 | Catalytic hydrogen storage composite material and … | 33 |
| 8 | Hybrid fuel cell | 24 |
Ranked by total forward citations. Citation counts favour older and broadly cited patent families, and broad or adjacent patents may appear when they match the search scope. Treat this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents. Some patent titles may be shown in their original, non-English language where an accurate translation could not be guaranteed.
What the patent structure means for industrial R&D strategy
The extremely small corpus, legacy ownership pattern, and sparse recent filing activity together create a distinctive strategic environment for any organization considering entry or expansion in alkaline fuel cells for industrial plants.
Life-cycle stage: evidence pending
The evidence base does not include a computed life-cycle stage for this topic. Proxy indicators — zero filings across 2017–2022, a minor 2023 pulse, and a corpus of only 4 patent families — are consistent with a mature or dormant niche rather than an emerging one. Engineers should verify whether key patents are approaching expiry, which could open freedom-to-operate.
Dormant signalsTwo applicants hold the vast majority of the top-100 filers’ combined records
The top five filers account for 90% of the combined total among the hundred largest filers, with Energy Conversion Devices Inc and Tactical Fuel Cells alone commanding the top two positions. This level of concentration in a 4-family corpus means that a single licensing negotiation or acquisition could substantially shift the competitive map. New entrants face a narrow but well-defended prior-art landscape.
High concentrationCo-filing is confined to Ovonic Fuel Cell Co LLC as a hub
Four co-applicant pairs are on record, all involving Ovonic Fuel Cell Co LLC as one partner — paired individually with Wang Hong, Venkatesan Srinivasan, Stanford R. Ovshinsky, and Zdravko Menjak. This pattern suggests inventor-level collaboration rather than broad inter-institutional alliances. No cross-industry or university co-filing is evident in the evidence.
Inventor-level co-filingUS-centric filing with limited international coverage
The United States leads with 31 patent records, followed by WIPO PCT at 6 and Europe (EPO) at 5. Secondary markets such as Australia, Canada, and Singapore hold small numbers of records. India has 1 record. The limited PCT and EPO presence may leave meaningful jurisdictions unprotected, relevant for any party considering manufacturing or deployment outside North America.
US-centricGo beyond the landscape: Eureka’s TRIZ Solution agent breaks down an R&D problem and returns patented concept solutions, each with a technical approach and cited patent & literature evidence.
| Applicant | Collaborator | Co-filings |
|---|---|---|
| WANG HONG | Ovonic Fuel Cell Co LLC | 1 |
| VENKATESAN SRINIVASAN | Ovonic Fuel Cell Co LLC | 1 |
| Stanford R. Ovshinsky | Ovonic Fuel Cell Co LLC | 1 |
| MENJAK ZDRAVKO | Ovonic Fuel Cell Co LLC | 1 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Energy Conversion Devices and Tactical Fuel Cells lead a tightly clustered field
The top two applicants together account for the great majority of patent records in this corpus, and both are legacy entities with roots in nickel-metal hydride and hybrid electrochemical systems. Momentum data and technology-emphasis breakdowns are not separately available in the evidence for these applicants.
Energy Conversion Devices Inc
Energy Conversion Devices Inc tops the ranking with 19 patent records, the largest share of any single filer in this corpus. The company’s affiliated entities — Ovonic Fuel Cell Co LLC, Ovonic Hydrogen Systems, and Texaco Ovonic Fuel Cell — appear separately in the ranking, suggesting a broader technology cluster originating from the same organization. Applicant momentum data are not available in the evidence.
patent records: 19Tactical Fuel Cells
Tactical Fuel Cells holds 18 patent records, placing it within one record of the leader and making it the closest challenger in the field. Its near-parity with Energy Conversion Devices Inc stands out given the otherwise steep drop-off to the third-ranked applicant. Technology emphasis and momentum data for Tactical Fuel Cells are not available in the evidence.
patent records: 18Under-served adjacent branches worth monitoring
Several IPC classes appear at low counts relative to the dominant H01M class, indicating branches where patent density is thin. These are observations of relative sparsity; only those with plausible technical relevance and a realistic entry path are highlighted as potentially worth watching.
C25B · Electrolytic production of compounds
This branch holds only 4 patent records and a 3% share among the adjacent classes flagged. For industrial plant applications, electrolytic production processes — particularly green hydrogen generation integrated with alkaline fuel cell systems — represent a technically coherent extension. The low incumbent count and the growing industrial interest in on-site hydrogen supply suggest a realistic entry path for applicants willing to combine electrolyzer and fuel cell IP.
Search this in Eureka →F17C · Pressure vessels & gas storage
F17C appears with 4 patent records and a 3% share, reflecting sparse coverage of the hydrogen storage and containment subsystems that are essential for any industrial alkaline fuel cell installation. Given that catalytic hydrogen storage materials appear prominently among the most-cited patents in this corpus, the absence of dedicated pressure vessel and gas storage filings represents an under-served adjacent area with direct engineering relevance to plant-scale deployments.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ across technology routes
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | H01M 8 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | H01M 4 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | C01B 3 · Non-metallic elements & inorganic compounds | C01B 6 · Non-metallic elements & inorganic compounds | C01B 13 · Non-metallic elements & inorganic compounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy Conversion Devices Inc | Strong · 22 | Strong · 18 | Strong · 16 | Strong · 13 | Strong · 12 |
| Texaco Ovonic Fuel Cell | Strong · 5 | Strong · 5 | Moderate · 2 | Moderate · 2 | Moderate · 2 |
| Ovonic Fuel Cell Co LLC | Strong · 6 | Strong · 6 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Ovonic Battery Company | Strong · 2 | Absent | Strong · 2 | Strong · 2 | Strong · 2 |
| Stanford R. Ovshinsky | Strong · 2 | Strong · 3 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus comprises 4 patent families in scope. This is an extremely narrow field by any measure, and the small corpus size means individual filings carry disproportionate weight in any competitive analysis.
Energy Conversion Devices Inc leads with 19 patent records, followed by Tactical Fuel Cells with 18 patent records. Ovonic Fuel Cell Co LLC ranks third at 4 patent records, and Chevron Technology Ventures LLC holds 2 patent records.
The top five filers account for 90% of the combined total among the hundred largest filers, indicating extreme concentration. The field is effectively dominated by two applicants with a steep drop-off to the third.
The United States leads with 31 patent records. WIPO PCT has 6 records and Europe (EPO) has 5. Australia and Canada each hold 3 records, Singapore has 2, and India has 1.
The most-cited patent is titled ‘Regenerative bipolar fuel cell’ with 82 citations, followed by ‘Hybrid fuel cell’ at 63, ‘Very low emission hybrid electric vehicle’ at 55, and ‘Alkaline fuel cell’ at 54 citations. Catalytic hydrogen storage composite material patents also appear prominently among the top cited.
Yes. C25B (electrolytic production of compounds) and F17C (pressure vessels and gas storage) each have only 4 patent records, representing thin coverage relative to the dominant H01M class. B01J (chemical and physical processes and catalysis) has 3 patent records. These are observations of relative sparsity; technical relevance to industrial plant deployment would need to be verified through deeper analysis.
Ready to map your own alkaline fuel cell landscape?
Join 18,000+ innovators using PatSnap Eureka to map any technology landscape: search 2B+ patents and papers, surface key assignees, and generate a report like this in minutes.
Disclaimer. This page is generated from PatSnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.
Patent data carries inherent limitations: recent filings (typically the most recent 18–24 months) are under-counted due to standard publication lag; counts may be reported at either a patent-family or a patent-record basis and are not always directly comparable; classification, applicant-name, and citation data may contain errors, duplicates, or omissions; and the underlying search query defines and constrains the scope shown. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing on this page constitutes an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate, or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial, investment, or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Any patent, commercial, or strategic decision should be verified independently and reviewed with qualified patent, legal, and domain professionals. PatSnap makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose of the information presented.