Electric Ship Propulsion & Electrification Patent Snapshot
The corpus of 6 patent families in scope is highly concentrated: the Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology leads with 3 patent records, and the top five filers account for 69% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total. Filing activity peaked in 2019, has since eased to near-zero recent annual volumes, and Europe (EPO) is the dominant jurisdiction.
Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology leads a tightly held, early-stage corpus
The Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology sits at the top of the applicant ranking with 3 patent records, followed by a cluster of Chinese individual inventors and entities — Zhang Dazhong, Zhang Qingfa, Pang Ming, Current Dynamics Co Ltd, and Pang Zhisen — each holding 2 patent records.
The top five filers collectively represent 69% of the ranked applicants visible in this query’ combined total, signalling an extremely concentrated visible assignee structure with no broad mid-tier yet established. The gap between the leader and the remaining applicants is narrow in absolute terms given the small corpus, but proportionally visible.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KOREA INSTITUTE OF OCEAN SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | 3 | |
| 2 | Zhang Dazhong | 2 | |
| 3 | Zhang Qingfa | 2 | |
| 4 | Pang Ming | 2 | |
| 5 | Current Dynamics Co Ltd | 2 | |
| 6 | Pang Zhisen | 2 | |
| 7 | Yichang Fazhong Shipping Co Ltd | 2 | |
| 8 | Chongqing University | 1 |
The leaders’ positions imply that entry barriers remain low in volume terms — a modest, focused filing programme could rapidly establish a competitive position — but the Korea Institute’s consistent focus on marine propulsion and steering gives it a coherent technical anchor that individual-inventor groups have not yet matched.
The most recent filing years are subject to standard publication lag and may under-represent true current activity; the apparent absence of filings after 2025 should not be read as a definitive stop. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A 2019 spike in marine propulsion filings, with power-grid and vessel-systems branches underserved
The annual filing trend and the IPC technology-composition breakdown together reveal a field where activity burst briefly and the visible technical branch — marine propulsion and steering — accounts for most recorded work, while adjacent branches remain sparse.
Annual filing trend
Filings were zero from 2017–2018, spiked to 2 records in 2019, then fell back to zero through 2024, with 4 records appearing in 2025. The 2025 figure warrants caution given publication lag — some of those records may have been filed earlier and only recently published. The lifecycle evidence indicates annual volume has eased from its 2019 peak.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B63H (Marine propulsion & steering) is visible in with 8 patent records, reflecting the core focus of the field. B60L (Electric vehicle propulsion), B63J (Ship auxiliaries), B63B (Ships & marine vessels), and H02J (Power supply & grid systems) each account for 1–2 records, confirming that structural vessel design, auxiliary systems, and grid-integration remain under-developed branches.
↗ 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.
SCHIFFSANTRIEBSSYSTEM
A system that consists of electric-powered ship propulsion system in which a hydrogen-fueled fuel cell vehicle is installed on a ship and the electricity generated by the hydrogen on board the vehicle is used to drive an electric ship propulsion vessel. An internal combustion engine vehicle (ICE) fueled by hydrogen, natural gas or LPG is installed on board… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 带有蓄电池的综合能源充电型长途全电动船 | 17 |
| 2 | 电油结合充电型长途蓄电池全电动船 | 12 |
| 3 | 一种全电动船舶混合储能系统动态功率管理方法 | 1 |
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 small corpus, concentrated ownership, and a lifecycle reading of decline-from-peak create a specific strategic context: the field is not crowded, but neither is it actively growing, so entry timing and technical differentiation matter.
Field in post-peak decline from a 2019 high
The lifecycle stage is classified as Decline, with annual filings easing back from the 2019 peak. The corpus of 6 patent families is small and the recent-window growth rate is deeply negative. Any new entrant should expect to be filing into a thin, slow-moving field rather than a rising wave — which also means freedom-to-operate may be easier to establish.
Lifecycle: DeclineExtremely concentrated among a handful of non-overlapping actors
The Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology and a tightly co-filing group of Chinese inventors and Yichang Fazhong Shipping Co together account for the bulk of all ranked activity. There is no established second tier. For a new entrant, the concentration means few blocking thickets, but it also signals limited ecosystem development and possibly limited prior-art depth to build on.
Top-5 share: 69%A dense co-filing cluster centred on Zhang Qingfa, Zhang Dazhong, Pang Ming, Pang Zhisen, and Yichang Fazhong Shipping
The collaboration evidence shows 10 co-filing pairs, all involving the same five entities — Zhang Qingfa, Zhang Dazhong, Pang Ming, Pang Zhisen, and Yichang Fazhong Shipping Co Ltd — each pairing appearing 2 times. This indicates a single tightly integrated inventor group filing jointly, rather than a broad open ecosystem. The Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology and Current Dynamics Co Ltd appear to be filing independently, outside this cluster.
Co-filing cluster identifiedEurope (EPO) leads filings, with China and the US as secondary jurisdictions
Europe (EPO) accounts for 4 patent records, China for 3, and the United States for 1. The EPO lead is notable given that the leading applicant is Korean and a significant co-filing group is Chinese — suggesting deliberate international prosecution strategy rather than home-market concentration. The US market appears under-protected relative to its commercial importance in maritime electrification.
Lead jurisdiction: EPOGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Zhang Qingfa | Zhang Dazhong | 2 |
| Zhang Qingfa | Pang Ming | 2 |
| Zhang Qingfa | Pang Zhisen | 2 |
| Zhang Qingfa | Yichang Fazhong Shipping Co Ltd | 2 |
| Zhang Dazhong | Pang Ming | 2 |
| Zhang Dazhong | Pang Zhisen | 2 |
| Zhang Dazhong | Yichang Fazhong Shipping Co Ltd | 2 |
| Pang Ming | Pang Zhisen | 2 |
| Pang Ming | Yichang Fazhong Shipping Co Ltd | 2 |
| Pang Zhisen | Yichang Fazhong Shipping Co Ltd | 2 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Assignee snapshot from the current evidence set
The applicants below are visible in this query result. Because the evidence set is relatively small, read this section as a directional snapshot rather than a full competitive ranking.
Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology
Holds 3 patent records, the highest count in the corpus, concentrated entirely in B63H Marine propulsion & steering (sub-classes B63H21, B63H5, and B63H20). This focus reflects a systematic institutional programme on drivetrain and propulsion architecture rather than vessel-level or grid-level integration. No applicant momentum data is available for trajectory assessment.
patent records: 3Yichang Fazhong Shipping & co-inventors
Zhang Qingfa, Zhang Dazhong, Pang Ming, Pang Zhisen, and Yichang Fazhong Shipping Co Ltd each hold 2 patent records and file exclusively as a joint group. Their technical emphasis spans B60L Electric vehicle propulsion (sub-classes B60L11 and B60L50) and B63H19 marine propulsion, suggesting an approach that adapts EV battery and drivetrain technology to marine applications. No applicant momentum data is available for trajectory assessment.
patent records: 2 eachFrequently asked questions
The corpus contains 6 patent families in scope. This is a small corpus, reflecting either a genuinely nascent area of formal patent activity or a narrowly scoped search query; both interpretations should be considered before drawing strong strategic conclusions.
The Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology leads with 3 patent records, followed by a co-filing group of Chinese inventors and entities — Zhang Dazhong, Zhang Qingfa, Pang Ming, Pang Zhisen, and Yichang Fazhong Shipping Co Ltd — each holding 2 patent records.
The lifecycle stage is classified as Decline, with annual filings easing back from a 2019 peak. The corpus shows zero recorded filings in most years between 2020 and 2024, with 4 records appearing in 2025 — though the most recent data is subject to publication lag.
Europe (EPO) leads with 4 patent records, followed by China with 3 and the United States with 1. The EPO lead is notable given that the top filer is Korean and a major co-filing group is Chinese, suggesting deliberate international prosecution beyond home markets.
The most-cited patent in the corpus is a Chinese-language document titled ‘Long-distance fully electric vessel with integrated energy charging and battery storage’ with 17 citations, followed by ‘Long-distance fully electric vessel combining electric and oil charging with battery storage’ at 12 citations, and a dynamic power management method for hybrid energy storage systems on fully electric vessels at 1 citation.
The two most under-served adjacent branches, each with only 1 patent record and a 7% share, are B63B (Ships & marine vessels structural design) and H02J (Power supply & grid systems). B63B covers hull and vessel architecture adaptations for electrification; H02J covers shore power interfaces, onboard grid distribution, and port charging infrastructure — both technically adjacent to the visible B63H propulsion work but currently sparse in this 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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