Solid-State Battery Patent Landscape 2026
Solid-State Battery Patent Landscape in 2026
The solid-state battery patent field is in active growth, with Toyota Motor Corporation holding a commanding lead and the top five filers collectively dominating the hundred largest applicants. Automotive and battery OEMs from Japan and Korea anchor the competitive core, while challenger momentum from LG Energy Solution and Samsung SDI signals intensifying rivalry.
Toyota leads a concentrated field; Korean challengers are closing fast
Toyota Motor Corporation sits at the top of the LG Energy Solution follows at 2,165 patent families, and Panasonic Intellectual Property Management, Samsung SDI, and Hyundai Motor round out the top five.
The top five filers account for 42% of the combined output of the hundred largest applicants, indicating a concentrated but not monopolized field. A distinct tier gap separates the top two from the rest: Toyota’s count is roughly 1.6× that of LG Energy Solution, and LG Energy Solution’s count is more than double that of the third-ranked Panasonic entity.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toyota Motor Corporation | 3,511 | |
| 2 | LG Energy Solution Ltd. | 2,165 | |
| 3 | Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. | 957 | |
| 4 | Samsung SDI Co., Ltd. | 876 | |
| 5 | Hyundai Motor Company | 830 | |
| 6 | Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. | 698 | |
| 7 | Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | 616 | |
| 8 | Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd. | 449 | |
| 9 | Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. | 313 | |
| 10 | Panasonic Holdings Corporation | 298 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | QuantumScape Battery Inc. | 280 | |
| 12 | GM Global Technology Operations LLC | 274 | |
| 13 | SK On Co., Ltd. | 272 | |
| 14 | Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc. | 266 | |
| 15 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | 235 | |
| 16 | MITSUI MINING & SMELTING CO LTD | 228 | |
| 17 | Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd. | 219 | |
| 18 | Regents of the University of California | 217 | |
| 19 | TDK Corporation | 216 | |
| 20 | LG Chem Ltd. | 177 |
Toyota’s scale signals deep prior-art density in core electrolyte and electrode chemistries, raising freedom-to-operate risk for late entrants in those sub-classes. However, the surge in momentum from LG Energy Solution (+198%) and Samsung SDI (6.6× vs prior three-year period) suggests that the competitive frontier is shifting, and the leader’s relative share may compress over the next filing cycle.
Filings from the most recent 18–24 months are under-represented due to standard patent publication lag; apparent softness in 2025–2026 data should not be read as a slowdown. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Sustained volume growth and an overwhelmingly H01M-centric technology mix
The annual filing trend and the technology composition chart together show a field that is expanding in volume while remaining tightly anchored to a single primary class, with adjacent branches offering headroom for differentiation.
Annual filing trend
Filed volumes climbed from 728 records in 2017 to a plateau around 2,623–2,625 records in 2023–2024, consistent with the Growth lifecycle stage. The lifecycle evidence confirms annual filings are still rising and that the 2025–2026 figures are understated by publication lag, so no decline should be inferred from those years.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H01M (batteries, cells, and fuel cells) dominates the composition by a wide margin. The next-largest branches — H01B (cables, conductors, and insulators), C01B (non-metallic elements and inorganic compounds), and C01G (compounds of other metals) — each represent roughly 4% of records, reflecting activity in solid electrolyte materials chemistry. Polymer classes (C08F, C08L, C08G) and coating/deposition classes (C23C, B05D) show smaller but meaningful presence, pointing to ongoing work in polymer electrolytes and thin-film fabrication.
↗ 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.
Sheathing material for all solid state battery, al…
A sheathing material for an all solid state battery, the sheathing material including at least: a stack including a substrate layer, a barrier layer, and a heat fusible resin layer in this order; and an insulating layer provided on the heat fusible resin layer on the opposite side from the substrate layer side, wherein when an all solid state battery… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medical device having lithium-ion battery | 468 |
| 2 | Secondary cell using organosulfur/metal charge tra… | 418 |
| 3 | Rechargeable positive electrode | 379 |
| 4 | Predictive model for estimating battery states | 375 |
| 5 | Solid polymer electrolytes | 348 |
| 6 | Rechargeable positive electrodes | 345 |
| 7 | Electrolyte materials containing highly dissociate… | 344 |
| 8 | Rechargeable thin film battery and method for maki… | 337 |
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 R&D strategy
Concentration, momentum shifts, and cross-sector collaboration all shape where new investment can find differentiated space. The four dimensions below translate the landscape data into actionable reads.
Active Growth stage — rising volume, not yet a mature plateau
The lifecycle evidence classifies this field as Growth, with annual filings still rising and the multi-year window showing 34% recent growth. The patent-density build-up in core H01M sub-classes (electrolyte design, electrode formulation) is accelerating, compressing the window for uncontested claims in those areas. Entrants should prioritize sub-class adjacencies where density is lower.
Growth stageTop-heavy but not locked: 42% concentration among the top five of the top hundred filers
The top five applicants hold 42% of the combined output of the hundred largest filers, with Toyota Motor Corporation alone accounting for more than half of that group’s share. Below the top two, however, the ranking disperses across Japanese, Korean, American, and European players, and challengers like Samsung SDI (6.6× vs prior three-year period) are filing aggressively. The concentration level is high enough to create prior-art risk in core areas but not high enough to foreclose competition in adjacent sub-classes.
High concentrationHyundai–Kia and university partnerships dominate co-filing activity
The most active co-filing pair is Hyundai Motor and Kia (now Kia Corporation), with 491 joint filings, reflecting their shared EV platform strategy. LG Energy Solution and the Regents of the University of California have co-filed 108 families, indicating an academic-industry pipeline for materials innovation. Toyota Motor Corporation and the Tokyo Institute of Technology have co-filed 42 families, and Toyota also co-filed 96 families with the legacy Panasonic entity, pointing to supply-chain IP alignment. These partnerships signal where technology transfer and licensing flows are likely concentrated.
Ecosystem co-filingUS leads filings; Europe and PCT routes show strong international protection intent
The United States is the lead jurisdiction by patent records, followed by Europe (EPO) and WIPO (PCT). China and South Korea follow at meaningful but lower levels, while Japan — home to several top filers — shows a relatively smaller record count in this corpus, possibly reflecting domestic filing strategies. The breadth of PCT and EPO coverage signals that leading applicants are seeking enforceable rights across all major EV markets simultaneously.
US-led, global reachGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Hyundai Motor Company | Kia Corporation | 491 |
| LG Energy Solution Ltd. | Regents of the University of California | 108 |
| Toyota Motor Corporation | Panasonic Corporation | 96 |
| Hyundai Motor Company | Kia Corporation | 77 |
| Hyundai Motor Company | Hanyang University | 48 |
| Hyundai Motor Company | Seoul National University R&DB Foundation | 44 |
| Kia Corporation | Hanyang University | 43 |
| Toyota Motor Corporation | Tokyo Institute of Technology | 42 |
| Kia Corporation | Seoul National University R&DB Foundation | 37 |
| Hyundai Motor Company | Ulsan Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) | 22 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Toyota sets the benchmark; LG Energy Solution is the fastest-rising challenger
Both leaders concentrate their filings in the H01M 10 and H01M 4 sub-classes, covering cell systems and electrode materials respectively, but their momentum trajectories diverge sharply.
Toyota Motor Corporation
Toyota holds 3,511 patent families, the largest position in the corpus by a substantial margin. Its technology emphasis falls on H01M 10 (2,181 records) and H01M 4 (1,721 records), reflecting deep coverage across both solid-electrolyte cell systems and electrode active materials. Momentum is positive at +24% in the recent period, suggesting continued investment rather than a harvesting posture. Co-filing with Tokyo Institute of Technology and the legacy Panasonic entity indicates that Toyota is also building a collaborative IP perimeter around its core platform.
patent families: 3,511LG Energy Solution
LG Energy Solution ranks second with 2,165 patent families and is the fastest-growing major filer in the corpus, with recent-period filings up +198% versus the prior three-year baseline. Its technical focus mirrors Toyota’s — H01M 10 (1,278 records) and H01M 4 (929 records) — meaning the two are converging on the same core sub-classes. The university collaboration with the Regents of the University of California (108 joint filings) adds a materials-science pipeline that could accelerate differentiation in electrolyte chemistry.
patent families: 2,165| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Toyota Motor Corporation | 864 | ▲ +24% |
| LG Energy Solution Ltd. | 839 | ▲ +198% |
| Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. | 330 | ▼ -13% |
| Samsung SDI Co., Ltd. | 439 | ▲ 6.6× vs prior 3-yr |
| Hyundai Motor Company | 329 | ▲ +106% |
| Kia Corporation | 271 | ▲ +79% |
| Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. | 139 | ▼ -33% |
| LG Chem Ltd. | 39 | ▼ -81% |
Under-served branches adjacent to the dominant H01M core
Several IPC classes appear at materially lower filing densities relative to H01M, pointing to areas where prior-art accumulation is thinner. These are observations of relative sparsity; the technical and commercial case for entry depends on the specific application context.
H01B · Cables, conductors & insulators — solid ionic conductor interconnects
H01B accounts for roughly 4% of records in the corpus, a fraction of the H01M share. Solid-state batteries require low-resistance ionic conductor layers and interconnect materials that fall squarely within H01B’s scope. The thinner prior-art density here, relative to the cell-level H01M filings, suggests that applicants focused on conductor architecture and inter-layer contact resistance may find more room to establish differentiated positions. Entry could leverage existing materials characterization work in C01B or C01G.
Search this in Eureka →H02J · Power supply & grid systems — solid-state battery integration with power management
H02J (power supply and grid systems) appears at roughly 1% of records in the corpus, reflecting limited IP coverage at the system-integration level — specifically, how solid-state packs interface with charging infrastructure, BMS electronics, and grid-side power conditioning. As solid-state cells approach commercial volumes, system-level IP is likely to grow in strategic value. Automotive OEMs with existing H02J portfolios (e.g., for EV charging) may find adjacency claims here accessible.
Search this in Eureka →How leaders differ by technology sub-class 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 | H01M 6 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | H01B 1 · Cables, conductors & insulators |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota Motor Corporation | Strong · 2,181 | Strong · 1,721 | Emerging · 380 | Emerging · 62 | Emerging · 81 |
| LG Energy Solution Ltd. | Strong · 1,278 | Strong · 929 | Emerging · 199 | Absent | Absent |
| Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. | Strong · 770 | Strong · 513 | Moderate · 179 | Emerging · 30 | Moderate · 156 |
| Samsung SDI Co., Ltd. | Strong · 615 | Strong · 491 | Emerging · 92 | Absent | Absent |
| Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. | Strong · 472 | Strong · 280 | Moderate · 208 | Emerging · 46 | Emerging · 62 |
| Hyundai Motor Company | Strong · 530 | Strong · 484 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Kia Corporation | Strong · 416 | Strong · 393 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus analyzed contains 17,184 patent families covering solid-state battery technologies globally.
Toyota Motor Corporation is the largest filer with 3,511 patent families, more than 1.6 times the count of the second-ranked applicant, LG Energy Solution, which holds 2,165 patent families.
LG Energy Solution shows the strongest recent momentum among major filers, with filings in the recent period up +198% versus the prior three-year baseline. Samsung SDI also shows a sharp acceleration at 6.6× the prior three-year level, though that figure reflects a smaller prior base.
H01M (batteries, cells, and fuel cells) is the overwhelmingly dominant IPC class. Adjacent classes such as H01B (cables, conductors, and insulators), C01B (non-metallic elements and inorganic compounds), and C01G (compounds of other metals) each appear at roughly 4% of the record count, reflecting materials chemistry work on solid electrolytes.
The United States leads by patent records, followed by Europe (EPO) and WIPO (PCT). China and South Korea are the next largest jurisdictions. The strong PCT and EPO presence indicates that leading applicants are pursuing broad multi-market protection.
Hyundai Motor and Kia form the most active co-filing partnership with 491 joint records, reflecting their shared EV platform strategy. LG Energy Solution and the Regents of the University of California have co-filed 108 families, and Toyota Motor Corporation has co-filed 96 families with the legacy Panasonic entity and 42 families with the Tokyo Institute of Technology.
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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.