Bipolar Battery Fast Charging Patent Landscape 2026
Bipolar Battery Fast Charging Patent Landscape in 2026
Nissan Motor dominates a highly concentrated field, holding the largest block of patent records among the top hundred filers, with the top five collectively accounting for 76% of that group’s total. The field is still expanding on a multi-year basis — recent three-year filings running 140% above the prior window — though annual volume has eased from its 2022 peak, and Japan remains the primary filing jurisdiction.
Nissan leads a tightly concentrated field with limited challengers
Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. holds the top position in the Nilar International AB follows in second place with 13 patent records, and Toyota Jidosha KK ranks third with 5 patent records.
The top five filers collectively account for 76% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, signaling a highly concentrated competitive structure with a steep drop-off after the leading pair. Applicants ranked fourth and below each hold just two or one patent records, confirming a wide tier gap.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. | 38 | |
| 2 | Nilar International AB | 13 | |
| 3 | Toyota Motor Corporation | 5 | |
| 4 | Advanced Battery Concepts LLC | 2 | |
| 5 | APB Corp | 2 | |
| 6 | GMCC Electronics Technology (Wuxi) Co., Ltd. | 2 | |
| 7 | Gridtential Energy Inc. | 2 | |
| 8 | Hangzhou Huayu New Energy Research Institute Co., Ltd. | 2 | |
| 9 | Subaru Corporation | 2 | |
| 10 | Guangzhou Yangxin Technology Research Co., Ltd. | 1 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Nilar Europe AB | 1 | |
| 12 | Chongqing Qinxiong Motorcycle Sales Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 13 | Sanyo Chemical Industries, Ltd. | 1 | |
| 14 | Quzhou Power Battery and Energy Storage Research Institute | 1 | |
| 15 | Denso Corporation | 1 | |
| 16 | GM Global Technology Operations LLC | 1 | |
| 17 | Hangzhou Zhanhong Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 18 | Firefly International Energy Co. | 1 | |
| 19 | University of Chicago | 1 | |
| 20 | Chaowei Power Group Co., Ltd. | 1 |
Nissan’s position, reinforced by named-inventor collaborations across multiple filings, suggests deep institutional commitment to bipolar fast-charging architecture rather than exploratory patenting. Nilar International AB’s focus on H01M 10 and H01M 50 subclasses indicates a complementary but narrower structural emphasis.
The most recent 18–24 months of filings are subject to publication lag and are likely under-represented; absolute counts for 2024–2026 should be treated as provisional. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Activity surged from 2021, peaked in 2022, and technology is anchored in core battery chemistry
The filing trend and technology composition charts together reveal a field that activated rapidly after 2020 and is defined overwhelmingly by cell-level battery chemistry, with secondary presence in charging infrastructure and vehicle integration.
Annual filing trend
Filings were negligible through 2020, then jumped sharply in 2021 and peaked in 2022 with 7 patent records. Volume moderated in 2023 and the years from 2024 onward are understated by publication lag, so the apparent softening should not be read as a real decline. On a multi-year basis the recent window sits 140% above the prior equivalent window, confirming the field is still expanding.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H01M — covering batteries, cells, and fuel cells — dominates the technology mix with 77 patent records, reflecting that most innovation targets cell architecture and electrochemistry directly. H02J (power supply and grid systems) is the second branch with 28 patent records, capturing charging-protocol and power-management work. B60L (electric vehicle propulsion), G01R (measurement), G01K (temperature), and H02H (protective circuits) are each sparsely populated, indicating that system-integration and safety aspects remain underdeveloped relative to the core chemistry.
↗ 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.
Bipolar battery control device for adjusting a vol…
A battery control device is provided that uses a discharge to adjust the capacitance of cells that form a bipolar battery and calculates the voltage increase value of the remaining cells that do not discharge to adjust capacitance if one or more cells, among all of the cells that form the bipolar battery, are discharged to adjust capacitance in a battery… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bipolar battery and its control method | 184 |
| 2 | Bipolar battery | 71 |
| 3 | Bipolar battery, battery pack with multiple bipola… | 48 |
| 4 | A bipolar battery and a biplate assembly | 47 |
| 5 | 双极电池和双极板组件 | 44 |
| 6 | Bipolar battery and a biplate assembly | 42 |
| 7 | High power bipolar battery/cells with enhanced ove… | 36 |
| 8 | Bipolar battery, battery packs and a vehicle insta… | 31 |
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 competitive structure means for R&D investment decisions
The combination of high concentration, a clear lifecycle stage, inventor-level collaboration patterns, and geographic skew toward. Japan and. China shapes both the risk and opportunity profile for new entrants and incumbents alike.
Growth stage with annual volume easing from 2022 peak
The field is classified at the Growth lifecycle stage: recent three-year filings are 140% above the prior three-year window, confirming multi-year expansion. Annual volume has eased from its 2022 peak, and the most recent years are further understated by publication lag. Entrants still have a window to establish positions before the field matures, but the core H01M chemistry space is becoming more crowded.
Growth · post-peak annualTwo-tier structure: Nissan dominant, all others distant
The top five filers hold 76% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, and Nissan alone accounts for 38 patent records versus Nilar’s 13. Every other ranked applicant holds five or fewer patent records. This steep gradient means challengers lack the defensive portfolio depth to contest Nissan on its core claims, but also that many adjacent technical routes remain thinly covered.
High concentrationInventor co-filing at Nissan signals internal programme depth
The most active co-filing pairs both link named inventors to Nissan Motor: MIYAZAKI YASUHITO and Nissan (2 joint filings) and ABE TAKAAKI and Nissan (2 joint filings), with additional single-filing pairs involving SHIMOIDA YOSHIO and KATO YUKINARI. No cross-company co-applicant relationships are evident in the evidence, suggesting the field has not yet developed the open-innovation consortium structures seen in more mature battery segments.
Inventor-level co-filingJapan and China are the primary protection markets
Japan leads with 18 patent records, followed by China with 15 and the United States with 11. Europe (EPO) accounts for 8 records, South Korea for 5, and PCT filings for 4. The spread across Malaysia, Taiwan, Sweden, Germany, and Mexico indicates that key filers are pursuing broad multi-jurisdictional protection, but Japan’s lead reflects both Nissan’s and Toyota’s home-market anchoring.
Japan-led, China risingGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| MIYAZAKI YASUHITO | 日产自动车株式会社 | 2 |
| ABE TAKAAKI | 日产自动车株式会社 | 2 |
| SHIMOIDA YOSHIO | 日产自动车株式会社 | 1 |
| KATO YUKINARI | 日产自动车株式会社 | 1 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Nissan anchors core battery chemistry; Nilar focuses on structural cell design
The two clear leaders differ in both portfolio depth and technical emphasis: Nissan commands the charging-protocol and cell-architecture space, while Nilar International AB concentrates on cell structural components.
Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.
Nissan holds 38 patent records, the largest position in the ranking by a substantial margin. Its technology emphasis spans H01M 10 (36 records), H01M 2 (21 records), and H02J 7 — power supply and charging systems (13 records) — indicating that Nissan integrates cell chemistry, structural design, and charging-protocol claims within a single coordinated programme. Inventor-level co-filings with named researchers reinforce the institutional depth of this portfolio. No momentum data specific to the most recent period is available for Nissan beyond its established dominant position.
patent records: 38Nilar International AB
Nilar International AB holds 13 patent records and focuses its filings on H01M 10 (6 records), H01M 50 — cell structural elements (5 records), and H01M 2 (1 record). The emphasis on H01M 50 differentiates Nilar from Nissan, pointing to a competitive strategy built around bipolar plate and assembly architecture rather than charging protocols. Toyota Jidosha KK, ranked third with 5 patent records, is flagged as a new entrant in the most recent momentum window, suggesting it is building a position rather than defending an established one.
patent records: 13| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Toyota Motor Corporation | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
EV integration, measurement, and protection circuits are under-served adjacent branches
Four IPC branches outside the dominant H01M and H02J classes have sparse coverage relative to the core chemistry work, representing areas where filing activity has not kept pace with the underlying technical need in a bipolar fast-charging context.
B60L · Electric vehicle propulsion integration
B60L carries only 6 patent records, representing 5% of the branch distribution. Given that bipolar batteries are explicitly targeted at automotive applications — as indicated by the applicant mix dominated by Nissan, Toyota, and Subaru — the paucity of EV-integration claims is notable. Technical value is high: fast-charging protocols must be co-optimized with drivetrain thermal management and regenerative braking. An entrant with systems-integration competency could file around bipolar-specific BMS-to-drivetrain interfaces without directly contesting Nissan’s H01M core.
Search this in Eureka →G01R · Electrical measurement and state estimation
G01R holds only 4 patent records, or 3% of the branch distribution. Accurate real-time state-of-charge and state-of-health estimation is a prerequisite for safe fast charging in bipolar architectures, where the stacked-cell topology can create voltage imbalances. The sparse coverage in this branch suggests that measurement and diagnostics methods tailored to bipolar cell stacks have not been systematically claimed. Entrants with sensor-fusion or impedance-spectroscopy expertise could address this gap with relatively low risk of blocking claims from incumbents.
Search this in Eureka →How leading filers differ across technology routes
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | H01M 10 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | H01M 2 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | H02J 7 · Power supply & grid systems | H01M 50 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | H01M 4 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 日产自动车株式会社 | Strong · 36 | Strong · 21 | Moderate · 13 | Emerging · 7 | Moderate · 8 |
| Nilar International AB | Strong · 6 | Emerging · 1 | Absent | Strong · 5 | Absent |
| Toyota Motor Corporation | Strong · 5 | Moderate · 2 | Strong · 3 | Absent | Emerging · 1 |
| Nilar Europe AB | Strong · 4 | Strong · 3 | Absent | Strong · 3 | Absent |
| Nilar International AB | Strong · 3 | Strong · 2 | Absent | Strong · 3 | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
There are 21 patent families in scope in this analysis. The corpus spans multiple jurisdictions including Japan, China, the United States, Europe, South Korea, and others.
Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. is the clear leader with 38 patent records, more than double the count of the second-ranked filer, Nilar International AB, which holds 13 patent records.
The field is in a Growth lifecycle stage. Recent three-year filings are 140% above the prior three-year window. Annual volume peaked in 2022 and has moderated since, but the most recent years are understated by publication lag, so the apparent softening should not be interpreted as a real decline.
Japan leads with 18 patent records, followed by China with 15, the United States with 11, and Europe (EPO) with 8. South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, and WIPO PCT filings each account for additional records, indicating broad multi-jurisdictional protection strategies by leading filers.
The most-cited document in the corpus is titled ‘Bipolar battery and its control method’ with 184 citations, followed by ‘Bipolar battery’ with 71 citations, and ‘Bipolar battery, battery pack with multiple bipolar…’ with 48 citations. These foundational works define the core architecture and control approaches that later filings build upon.
The sparsest branches relative to the dominant cell-chemistry core are B60L (electric vehicle propulsion integration, 6 patent records), G01R (electrical measurement and state estimation, 4 patent records), G01K (temperature measurement, 2 patent records), and H02H (protective circuit arrangements, 1 patent record). These adjacent areas have plausible technical value in a fast-charging context but remain thinly covered in the current corpus.
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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.
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