Electric Drivetrain for Aviation Patent Landscape 2026
The electric drivetrain for aviation patent space is heavily concentrated, with the top five filers accounting for 68% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total and GM Global Technology Operations alone holding 41 patent families. The field is in a Growth stage on a multi-year basis, though annual volume has eased from its 2023 peak and recent years remain understated by publication lag.
A concentrated field led by GM, with challengers in energy storage and charging
GM Global Technology Operations LLC ranks first with 41 patent families, nearly double the second-ranked Our Next Energy Inc at 20 patent families, establishing a clear first-mover gap at the top of the applicant ranking.
The top five filers — GM Global Technology Operations, Our Next Energy, ABB (Schweiz), Rivian Holdings, and Sustainable Energy Technologies — together account for 68% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, signaling a tightly held competitive structure with a pronounced tier gap between the top cluster and the remaining applicants.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM Global Technology Operations LLC | 41 | |
| 2 | Our Next Energy Inc | 20 | |
| 3 | ABB (Schweiz) AG | 18 | |
| 4 | Rivian Holdings LLC | 15 | |
| 5 | Sustainable Energy Technologies Inc | 10 | |
| 6 | Aurora Flight Sciences Corp | 6 | |
| 7 | LCB International Inc | 5 | |
| 8 | Innovation Technologies Partners LP | 5 | |
| 9 | Flyer Next LLC | 5 | |
| 10 | Regents of the University of Minnesota | 3 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Telo Trucks Inc | 3 | |
| 12 | Prasanna Gorur Narayana Srinivasa | 2 | |
| 13 | Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation | 2 | |
| 14 | Hyliion Inc | 2 | |
| 15 | Voltz Innovations LLC | 2 | |
| 16 | Regents of the University of California | 2 | |
| 17 | Georgia Tech Research Corporation | 2 | |
| 18 | Quantum Industrial Development Corp | 1 | |
| 19 | Intertrust Technologies Corporation | 1 | |
| 20 | Stopke J Lawrence | 1 |
GM’s lead, grounded in electric vehicle propulsion and fuel-cell technology, reflects a strategy of extending ground-vehicle drivetrain IP into adjacent aviation contexts, while challengers such as Our Next Energy and Sustainable Energy Technologies anchor their positions in battery management and charging infrastructure.
Filing counts for 2024 and 2025 are materially understated due to patent publication lag and should not be interpreted as a slowdown; the corpus covers globally filed patent families. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Rapid multi-year growth with electric propulsion dominating the technology mix
The annual filing trend and technology composition together reveal a field that expanded sharply from 2021 onward, concentrated almost entirely in electric vehicle propulsion classes with aircraft-specific codes remaining a smaller share.
Annual filing trend
Filings were negligible in 2017 before accelerating through 2021–2023, reaching a recorded peak of 35 families in 2023. Figures for 2024 and 2025 are understated by publication lag and do not represent a genuine decline; the three-year recent window sits 152% above the prior three-year window, confirming sustained multi-year growth.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B60L (Electric vehicle propulsion) dominates the technology mix by a wide margin, reflecting the ground-vehicle origins of most applicants’ core IP. H02K (Electric motors and generators), B60K (Vehicle propulsion and drive), H01M (Batteries, cells and fuel cells), and H02J (Power supply and grid systems) form a secondary cluster. Aviation-specific classes B64D (Aircraft equipment) and B64C (Aeroplanes and helicopters) are notably sparse relative to the corpus size, indicating that the bulk of current filing activity addresses propulsion and energy subsystems rather than airframe integration.
↗ 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.
External combustion engine series hybrid electric …
A vehicle is provided which includes an engine; an electric motor; a drivetrain driven by said engine and said electric motor, said drivetrain including a rotatable shaft; a generator which is attached to said rotatable shaft, and which generates electrical energy in response to the rotation of said shaft; an energy recovery system; and an electrical energy… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vehicle charging path optimization systems and met… | 185 |
| 2 | Multimotor modular electric drive powertrain syste… | 139 |
| 3 | Supplying power to an electric vehicle | 74 |
| 4 | Electric freight trailer, system and method | 74 |
| 5 | Supplying power to an electric vehicle | 47 |
| 6 | Supplying power to an electric vehicle | 45 |
| 7 | Systems and methods for determining battery system… | 30 |
| 8 | Battery section balancing methods and systems | 28 |
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 R&D investment decisions
The combination of a Growth-stage lifecycle, high concentration, nascent collaboration, and US-centric jurisdiction filing creates both barriers and entry points for new participants.
Growth stage, multi-year expansion with 2023 peak
The field carries a Growth lifecycle designation: the recent three-year filing window sits 152% above the prior three-year window, confirming meaningful multi-year expansion. Annual volume peaked in 2023 at 35 families and has eased since, though this is compounded by publication lag in 2024–2025. The window for staking foundational positions remains open, but the acceleration phase is maturing.
Growth · 152% recent window upliftTop-heavy ranking with a clear first-mover gap
The top five filers hold 68% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, and GM’s 41-family lead is nearly twice the second-place holder. This degree of concentration raises freedom-to-operate considerations for new entrants in core electric propulsion and motor-control subclasses. Differentiated entry into less-crowded subclasses — such as aircraft-specific equipment integration — may offer lower claim-density risk.
High concentration · 68% top-5 shareMinimal co-filing; one active partnership identified
The only co-applicant relationship evident in the evidence is between Gesang Wangjie and Qian Carbon International Inc, with 5 co-filed patent families covering hybrid/joint vehicle control and electric propulsion subclasses. The near-absence of broad collaborative filing networks suggests the field has not yet attracted significant consortium-level R&D activity, which may represent an opportunity for academic-industry partnerships in aircraft-specific subsystems.
Low collaboration densityUS-dominant filing with limited international protection
The United States accounts for 99 patent records, making it the overwhelmingly dominant jurisdiction. PCT filings (21 records) and EPO filings (13 records) are the only meaningful international routes, with Canada (8 records) and the United Kingdom (4 records) trailing. The thin EPO and PCT coverage outside the US suggests many applicants are not yet pursuing broad international protection, leaving jurisdictional gaps that a globally oriented entrant could exploit.
US-dominant · thin international footprintGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| GESANG WANGJIE | Qian Carbon International Inc | 5 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
GM and Our Next Energy lead; Aurora Flight Sciences is the only aviation-native filer in the top tier
The ranking is led by ground-vehicle electrification specialists who have extended their IP into aviation-adjacent contexts, with Aurora Flight Sciences standing out as the only applicant whose technology focus explicitly covers aircraft equipment classes.
GM Global Technology Operations LLC
Holds 41 patent families, the largest position in the corpus. Technology emphasis spans electric vehicle propulsion (B60L 11, B60L 15) and fuel cells (H01M 8), indicating a strategy rooted in ground-vehicle drivetrain IP extended into aviation-adjacent energy and motor-control claims. Momentum is classified as a new entrant in the recent filing window, with 11 families filed in the recent period — consistent with a rapid build-up from a prior low base rather than a mature sustained program.
patent families: 41Our Next Energy Inc
Holds 20 patent families, ranked second. Technology focus concentrates on battery state management (B60L 58), charging infrastructure (H02J 7, B60L 53), and energy storage — positioning the company as a battery-systems specialist rather than a full-drivetrain integrator. Momentum is classified as a new entrant with 12 families in the recent window, indicating this position was built rapidly and is still expanding.
patent families: 20| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| GM Global Technology Operations LLC | 11 | ▲ new entrant |
| Our Next Energy Inc | 12 | ▲ new entrant |
| ABB (Schweiz) AG | 12 | ▲ new entrant |
| Rivian Holdings LLC | 12 | ▲ new entrant |
| Sustainable Energy Technologies Inc | 9 | ▲ new entrant |
| Innovation Technologies Partners LP | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served IPC branches adjacent to the dominant propulsion core
Several IPC classes appear at low share relative to the corpus size despite having clear technical relevance to electric aviation drivetrains; they represent areas where filing density is sparse and where targeted investment could establish differentiated positions.
B60W · Hybrid/joint vehicle control
B60W covers hybrid and multi-source powertrain control logic — directly applicable to series-hybrid and turbo-electric aviation architectures where managing the interplay between combustion generators and electric motors is critical. With only 17 patent records and a 5% share of the technology mix, this branch is sparsely filed relative to the core propulsion class. An entrant with control-systems expertise could develop IP around power-split strategies, fault-tolerant switching, and energy-recovery logic specific to aviation duty cycles, where ground-vehicle algorithms do not transfer directly.
Search this in Eureka →B64D · Aircraft equipment
B64D is the most directly aviation-native class in the corpus, covering propulsion integration, fuel systems, and airborne electrical equipment — yet it accounts for only 6 patent records, making it one of the sparsest branches relative to the subject matter of this landscape. The near-absence of B64D filing signals that most current applicants are adapting ground-vehicle IP rather than developing purpose-built aircraft drivetrain integration solutions. An entrant with aerospace certification and systems-integration know-how could establish early authority in motor-nacelle thermal management, power distribution architectures for multi-rotor eVTOL platforms, and airframe-embedded wiring harness standards.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ across technology routes
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | B60L 50 · Electric vehicle propulsion | B60L 11 · Electric vehicle propulsion | B60L 53 · Electric vehicle propulsion | B60L 58 · Electric vehicle propulsion | H02J 7 · Power supply & grid systems |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GM Global Technology Operations LLC | Moderate · 5 | Strong · 23 | Emerging · 3 | Moderate · 5 | Moderate · 9 |
| Our Next Energy Inc | Moderate · 4 | Absent | Moderate · 8 | Strong · 16 | Strong · 9 |
| Sustainable Energy Technologies Inc | Strong · 7 | Absent | Moderate · 3 | Strong · 5 | Strong · 7 |
| ABB (Schweiz) AG | Strong · 4 | Absent | Strong · 6 | Absent | Absent |
| Innovation Technologies Partners LP | Strong · 6 | Absent | Moderate · 3 | Absent | Absent |
| Telo Trucks Inc | Strong · 3 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus contains 129 patent families in scope for electric drivetrain for aviation, based on the current dataset.
GM Global Technology Operations LLC leads with 41 patent families, nearly double the second-ranked applicant, Our Next Energy Inc, which holds 20 patent families.
The field is classified as Growth. The recent three-year filing window sits 152% above the prior three-year window on a multi-year basis. Annual volume peaked in 2023 and has eased since, though 2024 and 2025 figures are further reduced by patent publication lag.
The United States is the dominant jurisdiction with 99 patent records. PCT and EPO filings are the only meaningful international routes, at 21 and 13 records respectively, indicating limited global protection breadth among current applicants.
B64D (Aircraft equipment) and B64C (Aeroplanes and helicopters) are the most sparse aviation-native classes, with 6 and 3 patent records respectively, despite being directly relevant to electric aviation drivetrains. B60W (Hybrid/joint vehicle control) also has relatively low coverage at 17 records given its applicability to hybrid-electric aviation architectures.
Collaboration is minimal. The only co-applicant relationship identified in the evidence is between Gesang Wangjie and Qian Carbon International Inc, covering 5 co-filed families in hybrid vehicle control and electric propulsion subclasses. No broader consortium-level filing networks are evident.
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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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