EV Fast Charging for Agricultural Vehicles Patent Landscape
The EV fast charging space for agricultural vehicles is an early-growth field with 34 patent families in scope, dominated by Zoox Inc with 18 patent families and challenged by a fast-entering Kubota Corp with 11. Activity is heavily US-centric, the technology mix sits overwhelmingly in EV propulsion and charging infrastructure, and agriculture-specific branches remain nearly untouched — signalling both where competition has formed and where it has not.
Zoox leads a highly concentrated, US-anchored field
The top five filers account for the entirety of the ranked applicants visible in this query’ combined total, with Zoox Inc ranked first at 18 patent families, followed by Kubota Corp at 11, and a distant third tier of GM Global Technology Operations LLC, DIMAAG-AI, and CNH Industrial America LLC each holding one or two patent families.
The concentration is extreme: a single applicant holds more than half the ranked portfolio. The gap between first and second place is meaningful, but Kubota’s status as a new entrant with 11 patent families signals that the visible assignee structure is actively forming rather than settled.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zoox Inc | 18 | |
| 2 | Kubota Corporation | 11 | |
| 3 | DIMAAG-AI | 2 | |
| 4 | GM Global Technology Operations LLC | 2 | |
| 5 | CNH Industrial America LLC | 1 |
Zoox’s position, built on charging station scheduling, wireless charging, and thermal management, is defensible in the short term, but Kubota’s focus on EV propulsion and drive systems suggests an incumbent agricultural OEM is staking a direct claim. The field is small enough that a focused filing program from any major ag-equipment or charging infrastructure player could materially shift the ranking.
The most recent one to two years of filings are understated due to patent publication lag; the apparent drop after 2021 should not be read as demand contraction. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Activity surged from 2021 and the technology mix is infrastructure-heavy with sparse ag-specific coverage
The annual filing trend and technology composition charts together reveal both the pace at which this space is forming and the degree to which it remains anchored in generic EV charging infrastructure rather than agriculture-tailored innovation.
Annual filing trend
Zero activity was recorded through 2020; filings then jumped sharply in 2021, which remains the peak year. Annual volume eased in 2022 and 2023, and the 2024 and 2025 figures are substantially understated by publication lag — they should not be interpreted as a real decline. On a multi-year basis the field has grown 83% in recent years versus the prior window, consistent with a growth-stage field.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B60L (Electric vehicle propulsion) is visible in the branch mix by a wide margin, reflecting that most activity addresses the core charging interface rather than vehicle-side or crop-specific adaptations. H02J (Power supply and grid systems) and H02M (Power conversion) form a secondary cluster, while A01B (Soil working in agriculture) holds just one patent record — underlining how thin the specifically agricultural layer of this corpus is.
↗ 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.
DC fast charger wireless-charging adapter
A wireless-charging adapter is connectable to a direct current (DC) fast charger and includes an induction coil for wireless charging a second induction coil on a vehicle. In some instances, the adapter may include an electrical connector to mate with a DC fast charger. In addition, the adapter may include hardware and/or software to receive a DC from the… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scheduled battery charging of service vehicles | 14 |
| 2 | Methods and systems for remote charging of work ve… | 10 |
| 3 | DC fast charger wireless-charging adapter | 10 |
| 4 | Thermal management for vehicle charging systems | 9 |
| 5 | Dense vehicle charging station | 9 |
| 6 | Controller for wireless power charger for vehicle | 7 |
| 7 | Wireless power charger for vehicle | 5 |
| 8 | Controlling vehicles at a charging station | 5 |
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
A small, concentrated, growth-stage corpus with no recorded collaboration activity and a US-first jurisdictional footprint shapes where defensible differentiation is available and where gaps remain open.
Growth stage, eased from 2021 peak
The field is classified as Growth, with the recent three-year filing window sitting 83% above the prior three-year window on a multi-year basis. Annual volume has eased from its 2021 peak, but publication lag means the true current rate is understated. For an R&D team, this suggests the window to establish a foundational position is open but narrowing — the field is forming, not formed.
Life-cycle: GrowthTop five own the entire ranked field
The top five filers account for 100% of the ranked applicants visible in this query’ combined total — an unusually high concentration for a technology in the growth stage. Zoox holds 18 patent families and Kubota 11, with the remaining three players at one or two each. This leaves the field exposed to disruption by any well-resourced new entrant, since there is no broad mid-tier blocking the approach.
High concentrationNo co-applicant activity recorded
The collaboration evidence is pending — no co-filing relationships appear in the corpus. This is consistent with the field’s early stage, where players are staking independent positions rather than pooling resources. It also means there are no incumbent consortia to navigate or partner with, which lowers the barrier for an R&D team seeking to enter through organic filing.
No co-filing detectedUS-first, Europe and PCT thin
The United States is the lead office with 23 patent records, Europe (EPO) holds 8, and WIPO (PCT) holds 3. The thin PCT and EPO coverage means that agricultural markets in Europe and Asia-Pacific are largely uncontested at the patent level — a relevant observation given that agricultural equipment OEMs such as Kubota and CNH Industrial operate globally.
US-visibleGo 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.
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.
Zoox Inc
Zoox holds 18 patent families, all concentrated in B60L (Electric vehicle propulsion charging) and H02J (Power supply and grid systems), with a notable wireless-charging and scheduled-charging emphasis visible in the most-cited titles. Its momentum trend shows a 50% decline in recent filings versus the prior period, suggesting the foundational portfolio is largely built and new investment may be slowing.
Families: 18Kubota Corp
Kubota Corp holds 11 patent families as a new entrant, with its focus split across B60L (Electric vehicle propulsion), B60L50 (battery-electric drive), and B60K (Vehicle propulsion and drive) — a vehicle-system orientation that complements rather than replicates Zoox’s charging-infrastructure emphasis. Entering as a new entrant with 11 patent families immediately makes Kubota the second-largest filer, signalling a committed and fast-moving push into agricultural EV electrification.
Families: 11Frequently asked questions
The corpus in scope contains 34 patent families. This is a small, early-stage field by patent-volume standards, which means that a focused filing program could materially shift the assignee snapshot.
Zoox Inc leads with 18 patent families, concentrated in EV propulsion charging (B60L) and power supply systems (H02J), with a particular emphasis on wireless charging and scheduled charging of service vehicle fleets.
No. Zoox is an autonomous vehicle company whose charging-related patents were filed in the context of EV fleet management rather than agricultural operations specifically. Its portfolio is visible in this corpus because the charging methods it has patented are technically applicable to agricultural EVs, even if agriculture was not the primary use case.
Kubota Corp holds 11 patent families and is the only major agricultural equipment OEM with a significant position in this corpus. It entered as a new entrant in the recent filing window and immediately became the second-largest filer. CNH Industrial America LLC holds one patent family.
The United States is the lead office, with 23 patent records. Europe (EPO) holds 8 and WIPO (PCT) holds 3. The thin EPO and PCT coverage means that agricultural markets outside the US are relatively uncontested at the patent level.
Yes. A01B (Soil working in agriculture) holds only one patent record, and B60W (Hybrid/joint vehicle control) holds only one. These branches represent the intersection of fast-charging with specifically agricultural operational contexts, suggesting that truly agriculture-native charging integration is largely absent from the current corpus.
Ready to map the EV fast charging landscape for your technology?
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.