Electric Drivetrain for Passenger Vehicles Patent Landscape
The electric drivetrain for passenger vehicles space is concentrated, with GM Global Technology Operations leading and the top five filers holding 65% of the hundred largest filers’ combined patent records. The field is still expanding on a multi-year basis, though annual volume has eased from its 2022 peak, with recent years further understated by publication lag.
GM Global Technology Operations leads a concentrated field
GM Global Technology Operations LLC holds the top position with 24 patent records, followed by ABB (Schweiz) AG with 18 and Hexagon Purus North America Holdings Inc with 16. The top five filers together account for 65% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, signaling a tightly consolidated competitive structure.
A clear tier gap separates the top three from the next cluster: LCB International Inc and Arrival Ltd each hold 7 patent records, while most remaining filers hold four or fewer. This two-tier structure suggests high barriers to meaningful positional challenge for new entrants without focused, sustained investment.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM Global Technology Operations LLC | 24 | |
| 2 | ABB (Schweiz) AG | 18 | |
| 3 | Hexagon Purus North America Holdings Inc | 16 | |
| 4 | LCB International Inc | 7 | |
| 5 | Arrival Ltd | 7 | |
| 6 | Arrival UK Ltd | 5 | |
| 7 | Flyer Next LLC | 5 | |
| 8 | ZF Friedrichshafen AG | 4 | |
| 9 | Ford Global Technologies LLC | 4 | |
| 10 | Rivian Holdings LLC | 3 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Regents of the University of Minnesota | 3 | |
| 12 | CONCEPTION & DEV MICHELIN SA | 2 | |
| 13 | Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation | 2 | |
| 14 | PACCAR Inc | 2 | |
| 15 | Cummins Inc | 2 | |
| 16 | Robert Bosch GmbH | 1 | |
| 17 | International Humanities Center | 1 | |
| 18 | Chongqing Jinkang New Energy Vehicle Co Ltd | 1 | |
| 19 | SF Motors Inc | 1 | |
| 20 | Ohio State Innovation Foundation | 1 |
GM’s concentration in B60L electric vehicle propulsion and H01M battery technology, and ABB’s focus entirely within B60L sub-classes, indicate that the leaders are reinforcing depth in core propulsion rather than diversifying. Challengers such as Hexagon Purus show a broader spread across propulsion and battery packaging, pointing to a platform-building strategy.
The most recent 18–24 months of filings are under-counted due to standard patent publication lag and should not be interpreted as a slowdown in inventive activity. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Multi-year growth with a 2022 peak and a technology mix anchored in B60L propulsion
Two charts together reveal both the pace of activity and the technology branches attracting the most patent effort. The filing trend exposes the growth trajectory and the effect of publication lag on recent cohorts; the technology composition chart identifies which IPC classes dominate versus which remain sparsely covered.
Annual filing trend
Filings rose sharply from 2020 onward, peaking at 22 records in 2022, then recorded 10 in 2023 and 13 in 2024. The apparent decline in 2025 and the zero count in 2026 reflect publication lag and should not be read as a real contraction. On a multi-year basis the field is firmly in a Growth lifecycle stage, with the recent three-year window sitting well above the prior three-year window.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B60L (Electric vehicle propulsion) dominates with 103 patent records, dwarfing the next classes: B60K (Vehicle propulsion and drive) at 31 and H01M (Batteries, cells and fuel cells) at 30. B60W (Hybrid/joint vehicle control), B60R, F16H, G01R, and H02K each hold single-digit to low-double-digit counts, confirming that motor control, gearing, and measurement sub-fields are comparatively underserved relative to the core propulsion class.
↗ 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.
Dual loop liquid cooling of integrated electric dr…
Provided herein are systems and methods for cooling an electric drivetrain of an electric vehicle. The electric drivetrain can include an inverter, a gearbox and a motor. A first cooling system can use ethylene glycol and water (EGW) based coolant, and can include an EGW coolant loop to distribute the EGW based coolant to remove heat from a cold plate of… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Systems and methods for determining battery system… | 30 |
| 2 | Battery section balancing methods and systems | 28 |
| 3 | Series hybrid vehicle capable of operating without… | 28 |
| 4 | Fuel-Saving Robot System For Ace Heavy Duty Trucks | 27 |
| 5 | Battery systems operable in a backup mode and rela… | 26 |
| 6 | Safety critical systems control in autonomous vehi… | 24 |
| 7 | Hybrid electric vehicle | 24 |
| 8 | Dual loop liquid cooling of integrated electric dr… | 23 |
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 structure means for R&D investment decisions
Reading concentration, lifecycle stage, collaboration patterns, and geographic reach together provides a more complete picture of where competitive pressure is highest and where room exists for differentiated positioning.
Growth stage, easing from a 2022 peak
The field carries a Growth lifecycle designation: the recent three-year filing window sits 309% above the prior three-year window on a multi-year basis. However, annual volume peaked in 2022 and has since eased, and the most recent years are additionally suppressed by publication lag. Investors should interpret current counts as a floor, not a ceiling, for recent inventive activity.
Lifecycle: GrowthTop five control two-thirds of the ranked corpus
The top five filers hold 65% of the combined patent records among the hundred largest filers. GM Global Technology Operations alone accounts for 24 patent records — more than triple the fourth-ranked filers. This degree of concentration means that new entrants without a differentiated technical angle face an established positional advantage that is difficult to close through volume alone.
HHI: HighLCB International is the hub of the most active co-filing pairs
The most active co-filing relationships involve LCB International Inc as the common anchor: Gesang Wangjie and LCB International Inc co-filed 7 patent records together, as did Cha Wei and LCB International Inc with another 7. Both pairs focus on B60K6 vehicle propulsion, B60L7 regenerative braking, and B60W20 hybrid control — indicating coordinated hybrid drivetrain IP development rather than isolated bilateral agreements.
Ecosystem signalUS-centric with meaningful EPO and PCT reach
The United States leads with 47 patent records, followed by Europe via EPO at 17 and WIPO PCT at 16. Canada and the United Kingdom each register 6, while Germany shows 3. Emerging-market jurisdictions such as India, Australia, and several others each hold 2 or fewer records, suggesting that protection outside the major automotive markets remains limited and potentially open to strategic filing.
Lead office: USGo 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 | LCB International Inc | 7 |
| CHA WEI | LCB International Inc | 7 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
GM anchors the field; ABB and Hexagon Purus are new entrants gaining ground fast
The two most instructive contrasts are between GM’s established depth in core propulsion and battery management versus the new-entrant momentum of ABB and Hexagon Purus, both of which entered with substantial recent filing volumes.
GM Global Technology Operations LLC
GM leads with 24 patent records, concentrated in B60L 11 (electric vehicle propulsion, 21 records) and H01M battery technology (7 records each in H01M 10 and H01M 50). This battery-plus-propulsion pairing reflects a vertically integrated drivetrain strategy. No momentum trend data is available in evidence for GM, indicating its position was built across a longer filing window rather than as a recent entrant.
patent records: 24ABB (Schweiz) AG
ABB holds 18 patent records and is flagged as a new entrant, with 12 records in the recent filing window. Its technology focus is entirely within B60L sub-classes — specifically B60L 15 (motor control), B60L 5 (current collection), and B60L 53 (charging) — each with 6 records. This narrow but deep focus on electric traction control and charging infrastructure distinguishes ABB from the battery-oriented strategies of GM and Hexagon Purus.
patent records: 18| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| ABB (Schweiz) AG | 12 | ▲ new entrant |
| Hexagon Purus North America Holdings Inc | 16 | ▲ new entrant |
| Flyer Next LLC | 5 | ▲ new entrant |
| Ford Global Technologies LLC | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| ZF Friedrichshafen AG | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches adjacent to the core propulsion class
Several IPC classes adjacent to the dominant B60L propulsion class carry lower filing counts relative to their technical relevance to complete drivetrain systems. These represent areas of relative sparsity that may warrant monitoring or targeted filing.
F16H · Gearing & Transmissions
F16H holds just 7 patent records and a 3% share of the ranked corpus — sparse for a component class directly relevant to torque delivery in multi-speed electric and hybrid drivetrains. ZF Friedrichshafen AG is the only tier-one transmission specialist in the ranking with records in this class (2 records in F16H 57). Teams developing novel e-axle or multi-speed transmission architectures for passenger EVs face limited prior-art density in this branch, which may ease freedom-to-operate analysis and improve grant prospects.
Search this in Eureka →H02K · Electric Motors & Generators
H02K carries 7 patent records despite electric motor design being foundational to any drivetrain. The low count suggests that motor topology innovation (e.g., axial flux, wound-rotor, hairpin winding) is not being heavily captured in this specific corpus, leaving adjacent filing space. Entry paths include motor thermal management, winding geometry, and rotor-stator integration optimized for the passenger vehicle duty cycle — areas technically complementary to the dominant B60L propulsion coverage.
Search this in Eureka →How leaders differ by technology route
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | B60L 11 · Electric vehicle propulsion | B60L 50 · Electric vehicle propulsion | B60L 15 · Electric vehicle propulsion | B60L 7 · Electric vehicle propulsion | H01M 50 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GM Global Technology Operations LLC | Strong · 21 | Emerging · 4 | Emerging · 2 | Absent | Moderate · 7 |
| Hexagon Purus North America Holdings Inc | Absent | Strong · 13 | Absent | Absent | Strong · 11 |
| Arrival Ltd | Strong · 8 | Strong · 5 | Moderate · 2 | Strong · 6 | Absent |
| ABB (Schweiz) AG | Absent | Strong · 4 | Strong · 6 | Strong · 5 | Absent |
| LCB International Inc | Absent | Absent | Absent | Strong · 7 | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
GM Global Technology Operations LLC leads with 24 patent records, followed by ABB (Schweiz) AG with 18 and Hexagon Purus North America Holdings Inc with 16, based on the scoped corpus.
The scoped corpus covers 74 patent families in total.
B60L (Electric vehicle propulsion) is the dominant class with 103 patent records, far ahead of B60K (Vehicle propulsion and drive) at 31 and H01M (Batteries, cells and fuel cells) at 30.
The United States is the lead jurisdiction with 47 patent records. Europe via EPO accounts for 17 records and WIPO PCT for 16, making these three offices the primary protection venues.
The field is in a Growth lifecycle stage. The recent three-year filing window is 309% above the prior three-year window on a multi-year basis. Annual volume peaked in 2022 at 22 records and has since eased, though the most recent years are additionally suppressed by publication lag and should not be read as a real decline.
The most active co-filing pairs both involve LCB International Inc: Gesang Wangjie co-filed 7 patent records with LCB International, and Cha Wei co-filed another 7 with the same entity, with shared focus on hybrid propulsion and regenerative braking sub-classes.
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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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