For the eighth time in as many years, Toyota is the automaker that has been awarded the most patents from the United States Patent and Trademark Office in 2021. In all, the automaker received 2,753 patents this year.
That’s an average of 7.5 patents per day but is slightly less than Toyota’s engineers and scientists managed in 2020 when it got 2,819. That was a particularly active year for the automaker and was four percent higher than its total in 2019.
“We are delighted to be recognized as a global technology leader as evidenced by the many patents issued to Toyota,” said Sandra Phillips-Rogers, general counsel, chief legal officer, and chief diversity officer for Toyota Motor North America. “The number of issued patents is a testament to Toyota’s vast R&D efforts and the team members who bring these technologies to life.”
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Many of the patents were in the field of battery research to support the brand’s electrification efforts. It also says this was a particularly active year for automated driving systems, hardware, software, artificial intelligence, and other mobility-related inventions.
“This year’s patent list represents our efforts with respect to vehicle electrification, as evidenced by pioneering battery technology, as well as new IP to support Toyota’s transition into a mobility company,” said Frederick Mau, intellectual property counsel and director of patent licensing for Toyota Motor North America.
Toyota says that its wealth of inventions comes as a result of its big investments in R&D. It claims to invest more than $1 million in emerging technologies per hour and has invested more than $1 billion in projects relating to automated vehicles and robotics since 2017.
