EV Powertrain Functional Safety Patent Snapshot
The deduplicated corpus for this precise query is very small, with ZF Friedrichshafen AG holding the leading position and filings concentrated in a single active year. The field as captured by this search is highly nascent and narrow, warranting broader query exploration before drawing firm competitive conclusions.
ZF Friedrichshafen AG leads a highly concentrated, nascent corpus
ZF Friedrichshafen AG ranks first among the two identified applicants, holding the majority of patent families in this corpus. Potential Motors Inc. is the only other identified filer.
The top five filers account for the entirety of the top ranked applicants visible in this query’ combined total, reflecting extreme concentration in an extremely small corpus rather than a mature, competitive field.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ZF Friedrichshafen AG | 2 | |
| 2 | Potential Motors Inc. | 1 |
ZF Friedrichshafen AG’s position, grounded in electric vehicle propulsion (B60L) and excavating-equipment control (E02F), suggests its functional safety work spans both on-highway EV drivetrains and off-highway electric machinery — a broad application footprint for a two-family lead.
The most recent filing years are subject to publication lag and should be treated as under-counted; the corpus total reflects only families captured by this specific search and is not representative of the full EV functional-safety patent universe.
A single filing cohort in 2021 defines all known activity
The annual trend and technology composition together reveal a corpus defined almost entirely by one filing year and one visible IPC branch, with adjacent branches present at low volume.
Annual filing trend
All recorded filings cluster in 2021, with zero activity detected in surrounding years. Years after 2022 carry publication lag and remain under-counted, but the pattern reflects a very narrow search capture rather than a broad industry wave.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B60L (electric vehicle propulsion) is visible in the technology mix, followed by E02F (excavating and earth-moving) and a minor presence in B60W (hybrid/joint vehicle control). The E02F presence is attributable to ZF’s off-highway portfolio overlap.
↗ 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.
Method for operating an electric drivetrain for a …
A method for operating an electric drivetrain of a working machine is provided wherein the drivetrain comprises a work drive with an electric work motor and a travel drive with an electric travel motor and vehicle wheels, wherein the working machine experiences a speed deceleration from the outside that may result in a braking force acting on the vehicle… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Method for operating an electric drivetrain for a … | 2 |
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.
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.
ZF Friedrichshafen AG
ZF Friedrichshafen AG holds two patent families in this corpus, concentrated in B60L (electric vehicle propulsion) and E02F (excavating and earth-moving equipment), with a secondary presence in E02F sub-classes. The E02F focus indicates the company’s functional safety work extends to electric off-highway machinery alongside passenger and commercial EV drivetrains. No momentum data is available for trajectory assessment.
families: 2Potential Motors Inc.
Potential Motors Inc. holds one patent family, with technology emphasis split between B60L (electric vehicle propulsion) and B60W (hybrid/joint vehicle control). The B60W presence suggests an interest in higher-level vehicle control safety logic alongside powertrain-specific claims. No momentum data is available for trajectory assessment.
families: 1Frequently asked questions
The current corpus contains 3 patent families. This is a very small corpus and likely reflects a narrow query definition rather than the true scale of industry activity in this domain.
ZF Friedrichshafen AG leads with 2 patent families. Potential Motors Inc. holds 1 patent family and is the only other identified applicant in this corpus.
The United States is the primary filing jurisdiction with 2 records, followed by Canada with 1 record. No European, Asian, or other jurisdictions appear in this corpus.
B60L (electric vehicle propulsion) is the visible class, followed by E02F (excavating and earth-moving equipment) and B60W (hybrid/joint vehicle control). The E02F presence is attributable to ZF Friedrichshafen AG’s off-highway electric machinery portfolio.
Based on this corpus, the lifecycle stage is classified as Decline, with annual filings easing back from a 2021 peak. However, the very small corpus size means this classification should be treated cautiously — a broader query may reveal an active and growing field.
No co-applicant or collaboration relationships were detected within this corpus. The small number of identified applicants means absence of co-filing data is expected and not necessarily indicative of the broader industry.
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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.
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.