Potassium-Ion Battery Patent Landscape 2026
Potassium-Ion Battery Patent Landscape in 2026
Contemporary Amperex Technology leads a moderately concentrated field with 1,697 patent families in scope, holding a commanding position ahead of Toyota and American Lithium Energy. Annual filing volume plateaued near its 2022 peak, signaling a maturing but still active competitive environment.
CATL’s Hong Kong entity leads a moderately concentrated field
Contemporary Amperex Technology (Hong Kong) Limited holds the top position in potassium-ion battery patenting, followed by Toyota Jidosha KK in second place and American Lithium Energy Corp in third. The top five filers account for roughly a quarter of the combined output of the hundred largest filers, indicating moderate but not extreme concentration.
A clear tier gap separates the leader from the rest: the top-ranked entity holds nearly twice the patent families of the second-ranked Toyota, and the gap widens further below the top three. Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (the mainland entity) ranks fifth independently, meaning the broader CATL group’s combined footprint is substantially larger than any single competitor.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Contemporary Amperex Technology (Hong Kong) Limited | 119 | |
| 2 | Toyota Motor Corporation | 64 | |
| 3 | American Lithium Energy Corp. | 58 | |
| 4 | GRST Singapore Pte Ltd | 47 | |
| 5 | Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. | 36 | |
| 6 | Hydro-Quebec | 35 | |
| 7 | Honeycomb Battery Co. | 31 | |
| 8 | Sharp Corporation | 30 | |
| 9 | PetroChina Co., Ltd. | 29 | |
| 10 | Jinan University | 24 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Wuyi University | 24 | |
| 12 | Joby Aero, Inc. | 24 | |
| 13 | Tokyo University of Science | 22 | |
| 14 | UNIV OF SCI & TECH BEIJING | 19 | |
| 15 | GRST International Limited | 19 | |
| 16 | SHAANXI UNIV OF SCI & TECH | 18 | |
| 17 | Guangdong University of Technology | 18 | |
| 18 | Shandong University | 17 | |
| 19 | Toyota Motor Corporation | 16 | |
| 20 | Enovix Corporation | 15 |
The leader’s dominant position, combined with strong momentum data, suggests CATL has moved potassium-ion batteries from exploratory research toward product-oriented IP protection. Toyota’s second-place standing reflects a strategic hedge alongside its established lithium-ion and solid-state programs.
Filing counts for 2024 and 2025 are understated due to typical patent publication lag of 18–24 months; apparent softness in those years should not be read as a genuine decline in activity. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Volume plateaued near peak; electrode and materials chemistry dominate the mix
The annual filing trend reveals a field that expanded rapidly from 2017 through 2022 before plateauing, while the technology composition chart shows overwhelming concentration in battery cell and electrode classes with a long tail of adjacent material sciences.
Annual filing trend
Filings grew steadily from 2017 through a plateau around 2022–2023, consistent with a maturing field. Figures for 2024 onward reflect publication lag and undercount actual filing activity; do not interpret the apparent drop as a real decline.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H01M (batteries, cells and fuel cells) dominates the branch mix by a wide margin. Secondary branches — C01B inorganic compounds, C01G metal compounds, and B82Y nanotechnology — each represent materially smaller shares, pointing to the electrode and electrolyte material synthesis work that underpins cell performance improvements.
↗ 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.
Positive electrode active material for potassium i…
Provided is the positive electrode active material for a potassium ion battery according to the embodiment comprises a compound represented by Formula (1), in which M represents at least one element selected from the group consisting of V, Fe, Co, Ni, and Mn, and x represents a number from 0 to 1; and is a positive electrode for a potassium ion battery… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Method and System for Predicting Useful Life of a … | 151 |
| 2 | Battery thermal management system and method | 149 |
| 3 | Continuous process for producing electrodes and al… | 135 |
| 4 | Alkali metal or Alkali-Ion batteries having high v… | 111 |
| 5 | Battery with molten salt electrolyte and high volt… | 96 |
| 6 | Anode Particulates or Cathode Particulates and Alk… | 80 |
| 7 | Battery thermal management system and method | 70 |
| 8 | Anode material having a uniform metal-semiconducto… | 68 |
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
The combination of a maturing filing curve, moderate concentration among top filers, and active international co-development signals a field where differentiated materials chemistry and system-level IP are the most defensible entry points.
Field has plateaued near peak annual volume
The lifecycle stage is Maturity: annual filings plateaued near the 2022 peak and have eased since, while the multi-year window still shows 12% growth on a recent basis. This pattern is consistent with a field that has passed its steepest growth phase. New entrants face a denser prior-art landscape, making freedom-to-operate analysis and differentiated claim strategies more important than speed alone.
Mature / plateauingModerate concentration with a pronounced leader gap
The top five filers account for 25% of the output of the hundred largest filers, a moderate concentration level. However, the gap between first and second place is large — Contemporary Amperex Technology (Hong Kong) Limited holds 119 patent families versus Toyota’s 64 — suggesting the leader has built a structural IP moat that challengers would need sustained investment to close. Mid-tier players including Hydro-Quebec and Honeycomb Battery occupy defensible niches below the top tier.
Moderate HHICross-border and industry-academic co-filing pairs are active
The most active co-filing relationships involve GRST International Ltd with GRST Singapore Pte Ltd (six co-filed families) and Hydro-Quebec with the University of Texas system (six co-filed families). Altris AB and Northvolt have co-filed three families, and Toyota Jidosha KK has co-filed with Tokyo Institute of Technology. These pairings reflect a pattern of manufacturers anchoring academic or startup expertise, particularly in electrolyte and cathode material chemistry.
Industry-academic pairsChina leads filings; US and Europe are active secondary markets
China is the leading jurisdiction by patent records, followed by the United States and the European Patent Office. WIPO PCT filings indicate applicants seeking broad international protection beyond domestic markets. India appears as a notable emerging jurisdiction. Japan and South Korea, home to major battery manufacturers, show comparatively lower record counts, suggesting some players file domestically under those offices separately rather than through EPO or PCT routes.
China-led, global spreadGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| GRST International Limited | GRST Singapore Pte Ltd | 6 |
| Hydro-Quebec | Board of Regents, The University of Texas System | 6 |
| Altris AB | Northvolt AB | 3 |
| Toyota Motor Corporation | Tokyo Institute of Technology | 1 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
CATL group dominates; Toyota and Hydro-Quebec are the closest challengers
The ranking is led by entities within the CATL group, with Toyota Jidosha KK as the most credible standalone challenger. Momentum data shows both CATL entities and Hydro-Quebec accelerating, while GRST Singapore has decelerated sharply.
Contemporary Amperex Technology (Hong Kong) Limited
The top-ranked entity holds 119 patent families, concentrated heavily in battery cell and electrode subclasses (H01M 10 and H01M 4). Its parent group entity, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd, adds a further 36 patent families independently at rank five. Recent momentum for the mainland entity shows a 170% increase versus the prior period, confirming that CATL’s potassium-ion program is accelerating, not consolidating.
families: 119Toyota Jidosha KK
Toyota ranks second with 64 patent families and shows a 32% increase in recent filings versus the prior period. Its technology emphasis spans both electrode chemistry (H01M 4) and cell engineering (H01M 10), with a secondary cluster in C01B inorganic compounds, reflecting materials-synthesis work consistent with its broader solid-state and next-generation battery research programs. Toyota Motor Co Ltd adds 16 further families at rank nineteen.
families: 64| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. | 62 | ▲ +170% |
| Toyota Motor Corporation | 29 | ▲ +32% |
| American Lithium Energy Corp. | 5 | ▲ new entrant |
| Contemporary Amperex Technology (Hong Kong) Limited | 38 | ▲ new entrant |
| GRST International Limited | 4 | ▼ -90% |
| Hydro-Quebec | 17 | ▲ +42% |
Under-served branches adjacent to the core cell chemistry
Several IPC branches sit adjacent to the dominant H01M core but have comparatively sparse coverage, representing areas where incremental differentiation may still be achievable. These are observations of relative filing sparsity; they should be evaluated against technical feasibility and competitive dynamics before treating them as investment priorities.
B82Y · Nanotechnology applications in potassium-ion systems
Nanotechnology applications (B82Y) account for a small share of records relative to the core battery class, despite the well-established role of nanostructured anodes and cathodes in improving rate capability and cycle life for potassium-ion chemistries. The sparse filing count suggests that nano-engineering of potassium-ion electrode materials is not yet as heavily contested as in lithium-ion, offering a potential differentiation path for groups with materials synthesis expertise. Entry would require demonstrating potassium-specific structural stability advantages over conventional particulate electrodes.
Search this in Eureka →H01G · Capacitor-battery hybrid and supercapacitor integration
H01G (capacitors) appears in the corpus at a materially lower density than the dominant battery classes, despite growing interest in potassium-ion capacitors and hybrid energy storage devices that combine faradaic and capacitive storage. This branch is under-served relative to its technical relevance for high-power applications such as grid buffering and regenerative braking. Groups with expertise in activated-carbon or graphene-based electrode fabrication could explore hybrid architectures that exploit potassium’s favorable intercalation kinetics in carbon hosts.
Search this in Eureka →How leaders differ by technology route emphasis
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | H01M 10 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | H01M 4 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | H01M 50 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | C01B 32 · Non-metallic elements & inorganic compounds | B82Y 30 · Nanotechnology applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. | Strong · 72 | Strong · 72 | Moderate · 28 | Absent | Absent |
| American Lithium Energy Corp. | Strong · 58 | Strong · 38 | Strong · 44 | Absent | Absent |
| Toyota Motor Corporation | Strong · 54 | Strong · 58 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Contemporary Amperex Technology (Hong Kong) Limited | Strong · 45 | Strong · 49 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Hydro-Quebec | Strong · 31 | Strong · 27 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Nanotek Instruments, Inc. | Strong · 29 | Strong · 29 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus analyzed contains 1,697 patent families in scope across global jurisdictions, representing dedicated potassium-ion battery research and development filings.
Contemporary Amperex Technology (Hong Kong) Limited holds the top position with 119 patent families, nearly double the second-ranked Toyota Jidosha KK at 64 patent families. The broader CATL group, including the mainland entity Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd at rank five with 36 patent families, has a combined footprint that significantly exceeds any single competitor.
Annual filing volume grew rapidly from 2017 through 2022 and has since plateaued near that peak level. On a multi-year basis the recent window still shows 12% growth, but annual volume has eased from the 2022 peak. The field is classified at the Maturity lifecycle stage. Note that 2024 and 2025 figures are understated due to patent publication lag and should not be read as a real decline.
China leads by patent record count, followed by the United States and the European Patent Office. WIPO PCT filings indicate applicants seeking broad international protection. India appears as a notable emerging market. Japan and South Korea show comparatively lower record counts in this corpus.
H01M (batteries, cells and fuel cells) is the overwhelmingly dominant branch. Secondary branches include C01B non-metallic elements and inorganic compounds, C01G compounds of other metals, and B82Y nanotechnology applications. Capacitor-related H01G and downstream application classes such as B60L electric vehicle propulsion represent a much smaller share of filings.
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (the mainland CATL entity) shows a 170% increase in recent filings versus the prior period. Hydro-Quebec shows a 42% increase and Toyota Jidosha KK a 32% increase. American Lithium Energy Corp, Contemporary Amperex Technology (Hong Kong) Limited, and Altris AB are classified as new entrants in the recent window. GRST Singapore Pte Ltd has decelerated sharply, with a 90% decrease in recent filings.
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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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