NMC Battery Patent Landscape 2026
NMC Battery Patent Landscape in 2026
The NMC battery patent space is in a growth phase—filings have expanded significantly on a multi-year basis, though annual volume has eased from its 2023 peak. The field is moderately concentrated, with CPS Technology Holdings leading a competitive field that spans cell chemistry, EV propulsion, and battery recycling.
CPS Technology Holdings leads a fragmented but fast-growing applicant pool
The top five filers together account for 31% of the combined total across the hundred largest filers, signaling a moderately concentrated competitive structure rather than a dominant monopoly.
The tier gap between the top three applicants is narrow—all within five patent records of each other—while the remaining ranked applicants fall away sharply below 15 records. This suggests a contested leadership cluster rather than a single entrenched incumbent.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CPS Technology Holdings LLC | 32 | |
| 2 | Kubota Corporation | 31 | |
| 3 | Ascend Elements Inc | 27 | |
| 4 | GRST International Ltd | 14 | |
| 5 | Johnson Controls Technology Company | 13 | |
| 6 | BRIGGS & STRATTON CORP | 9 | |
| 7 | Renewable Metals Pty Ltd | 9 | |
| 8 | Cinis Fertilizer AB | 8 | |
| 9 | University of Maryland | 7 | |
| 10 | Hyliion Inc | 7 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | The Regents of the University of Colorado | 7 | |
| 12 | Aspen Aerogels Inc | 7 | |
| 13 | Watercycle Technologies Ltd | 7 | |
| 14 | ReJoule Inc | 7 | |
| 15 | Yang Tai Her | 7 | |
| 16 | Nanyang Technological University | 6 | |
| 17 | StromCore Energy Inc | 6 | |
| 18 | Proterra Inc | 6 | |
| 19 | X-Mat Battery IP Holdings LLC | 5 | |
| 20 | Hulico LLC | 5 |
The presence of recycling specialists (Ascend Elements, Renewable Metals), vehicle OEM-adjacent filers (Kubota, Proterra), and battery management innovators (CPS Technology Holdings, GRST International) in the top tier reflects the multidisciplinary nature of NMC battery innovation and implies that no single technology route dominates IP capture.
Filing counts for 2024 and 2025 are understated due to standard publication lag; the apparent easing from the 2023 peak should not be read as a structural decline. 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 2023 filing peak and a broad core-cell technology base
The annual filing trend shows how activity has evolved from 2017 to present, while the technology composition chart reveals which IPC branches capture the most innovation effort across the corpus.
Annual filing trend
Filings rose from 15 in both 2017 and 2018, accelerated through 2021–2022, and peaked at 78 in 2023 before easing to 50 in 2024 and 24 in 2025—both of which are materially understated by publication lag. The three-year recent window sits 115% above the prior equivalent window, confirming the field remains in genuine growth despite the post-2023 moderation in annual counts.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H01M (Batteries, cells & fuel cells) dominates by a wide margin, reflecting the core electrochemistry focus of this corpus. B60L (Electric vehicle propulsion) and H02J (Power supply & grid systems) rank second and fourth respectively, showing meaningful EV integration activity. C22B (Metal extraction & refining) sits at third, driven by battery recycling and critical-materials recovery work—an increasingly prominent dimension of NMC innovation. Measurement and sensing (G01R) and vehicle drive-train branches (B60K, B60R) round out the upper tier.
↗ 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.
Smart battery system
The present invention discloses a system comprising: a rechargeable energy storage battery system comprising a monitoring module and an Internet of Things (IoT) based control module; a block chain network; a processor; and a tangible non-transitory memory; wherein system is operable to receiving periodically by a smart battery management platform, battery… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lithium-ion battery including two power supplies | 121 |
| 2 | Detection of an Internal Short Circuit in a Battery | 72 |
| 3 | Smart battery system | 68 |
| 4 | Dynamic Formation Protocol for Lithium-Ion Battery | 63 |
| 5 | Recycling li-ion batteries using green chemicals a… | 61 |
| 6 | Switched passive architectures for batteries havin… | 51 |
| 7 | Passive architectures for batteries having two dif… | 40 |
| 8 | Semi-active architectures for batteries having two… | 38 |
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 NMC battery R&D investment
Four structural features—maturity stage, competitive concentration, collaborative activity, and geographic reach—define the strategic context for new entrants and incumbents alike.
Growth phase with an eased annual peak
The lifecycle assessment classifies NMC batteries as a Growth-stage field. The recent three-year filing window sits 115% above the prior equivalent window, confirming multi-year expansion. However, annual volume peaked in 2023 and has moderated since; 2024 and 2025 data remain understated by publication lag, so the true trajectory will only be confirmed as those filings publish.
Growth stageContested top tier, open mid-field
The top five filers collectively hold 31% of the combined total among the hundred largest filers, indicating moderate but not overwhelming concentration. The three leading applicants—CPS Technology Holdings, Kubota Corporation, and Ascend Elements—are separated by fewer than six patent records each, leaving the leadership ranking genuinely contestable. Below rank five, no applicant has reached double digits (other than Johnson Controls at 13), keeping the mid-field open for targeted portfolio building.
Moderate concentrationLimited co-filing; Ascend Elements and Mexichem Fluor the only active pair
Evidence shows a single co-filing relationship in this corpus: Ascend Elements Inc and Mexichem Fluor Inc have filed together on three patent records, making them the most active collaboration pair. The scarcity of co-applicant relationships across the broader ranking suggests that most NMC battery innovation is pursued proprietary rather than through formal IP partnerships, which may signal opportunity for strategic alliances in under-resourced adjacent branches.
Low co-filingUS-dominant coverage with meaningful PCT and EPO reach
The United States is the leading jurisdiction by a substantial margin, followed by Europe (EPO) and WIPO (PCT). India and Canada form a secondary tier, with Germany and Australia also represented. China appears with only two patent records—notably low given its global NMC manufacturing scale—suggesting the corpus may skew toward Western-origin filers or that Chinese-origin filings are captured differently in this data set.
US-dominantGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Ascend Elements Inc | Mexichem Fluor Inc | 3 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
CPS Technology Holdings and Kubota Corporation lead by volume; Ascend Elements drives recycling innovation
The top applicants span battery management systems, agricultural and off-highway EV integration, and closed-loop recycling—reflecting the breadth of commercially motivated NMC battery IP activity.
CPS Technology Holdings LLC
CPS Technology Holdings LLC leads with 32 patent records, concentrated in EV propulsion (B60L) and core battery technology (H01M). Their applicant momentum classifies them as a new entrant in the recent window, with 2 recent records—suggesting that a large portion of their portfolio was established earlier and recent filing activity has moderated. Their focus on battery management and EV systems positions them primarily in the vehicle-integration segment of the NMC value chain.
32 patent recordsAscend Elements Inc
Ascend Elements Inc ranks third overall with 27 patent records, but its technology profile is distinctive: it combines core H01M cell chemistry claims with significant activity in H01M 4 (electrode materials) and C22B 3 (hydrometallurgical metal refining), pointing to a closed-loop recycling strategy that recovers cathode-active materials from spent NMC cells. With 26 recent patent records and a new-entrant momentum flag, Ascend Elements represents the most actively filing applicant in the current window and the strongest challenger for the top position.
27 patent records| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Kubota Corporation | 31 | ▲ new entrant |
| Ascend Elements Inc | 26 | ▲ new entrant |
| Renewable Metals Pty Ltd | 9 | ▲ new entrant |
| Hulico LLC | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| CPS Technology Holdings LLC | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served adjacent branches in recycling, grid integration, and measurement
Several IPC branches outside the dominant H01M core show meaningful filing counts relative to the corpus total but remain comparatively sparse, suggesting areas where targeted IP development could differentiate a portfolio.
C22B · Metal extraction & refining
C22B accounts for 61 patent records—third by IPC branch volume—yet is led primarily by specialist recyclers such as Ascend Elements and Renewable Metals rather than mainstream battery OEMs. The branch covers hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical recovery of lithium, nickel, manganese, and cobalt from spent NMC cells, a domain under intensifying regulatory and supply-chain pressure. Entrants with access to industrial-scale hydromet or direct recycling processes could establish defensible IP positions before larger cell manufacturers enter at scale.
Search this in Eureka →H02J · Power supply & grid systems
H02J appears in 60 patent records, covering battery charging infrastructure, grid-tied energy storage, and power management architectures relevant to NMC second-life applications. Despite its scale, the branch is served by a diffuse set of filers rather than a concentrated leader, leaving IP density relatively low compared with H01M. Organizations developing smart-charging protocols, vehicle-to-grid (V2G) interfaces, or stationary storage controllers for NMC packs could find this branch accessible for portfolio entry.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ by technology route emphasis
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | H01M 10 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | H01M 50 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | H01M 4 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | H02J 7 · Power supply & grid systems | B60L 50 · Electric vehicle propulsion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson Controls Technology Company | Strong · 37 | Moderate · 12 | Emerging · 6 | Moderate · 8 | Moderate · 16 |
| Kubota Corporation | Strong · 31 | Moderate · 15 | Absent | Absent | Strong · 16 |
| Ascend Elements Inc | Strong · 25 | Absent | Moderate · 12 | Absent | Absent |
| GRST International Ltd | Strong · 13 | Strong · 12 | Moderate · 5 | Moderate · 4 | Absent |
| Proterra Inc | Strong · 10 | Absent | Absent | Strong · 6 | Strong · 10 |
| Yang Tai Her | Strong · 9 | Strong · 9 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Briggs & Stratton Corporation | Strong · 9 | Absent | Absent | Strong · 5 | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus contains 301 patent families in scope. Applicant rankings within the analysis are reported as patent records, which can differ from the family count because a single family may be counted across multiple records where relevant.
CPS Technology Holdings LLC leads the ranking with 32 patent records, followed by Kubota Corporation with 31 and Ascend Elements Inc with 27. The three leaders are separated by fewer than six records each, making the top position genuinely competitive.
Yes, on a multi-year basis the field is still in a growth phase: the recent three-year filing window sits 115% above the prior equivalent window. However, annual volume peaked at 78 filings in 2023 and has eased since then. Counts for 2024 and 2025 are further understated by publication lag and should not be read as a structural decline.
The United States is the leading jurisdiction, followed by Europe (EPO) and WIPO (PCT). India and Canada form a secondary tier, with Germany and Australia also present. China shows a notably low count of two patent records in this corpus, which may reflect the origin profile of the filers captured rather than the global filing landscape.
Beyond the dominant H01M (Batteries, cells & fuel cells) branch, meaningful activity appears in B60L (Electric vehicle propulsion), C22B (Metal extraction & refining, including battery recycling), H02J (Power supply & grid systems), and G01R (Electric & magnetic measurement). Together these branches reflect the NMC value chain from materials recovery through cell integration to grid-connected power management.
Evidence identifies one active co-filing pair: Ascend Elements Inc and Mexichem Fluor Inc, which have filed together on three patent records. The scarcity of additional co-applicant relationships across the wider ranking suggests that most NMC battery IP development in this corpus is pursued on a proprietary basis.
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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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