Toyota Releases Fuel Cell Patents to Open Source Market

TMS Senior Vice President of Automotive Operations Bob Carter announces access to Toyota's fuel cell patents at the International CES in Las Vegas on Jan. 5, 2015.

LAS VEGAS (Jan 5, 2015) It seems the idea of sharing patents is catching on in the automobile sector – especially where eco-friendly automobiles are concerned.

Today at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Toyota announced they are making available thousands of hydrogen fuel cell patents royalty free. Toyota hopes this initiative will spur development and introduction of innovative fuel cell technologies around the world.

Toyota will invite royalty-free use of approximately 5,680 fuel cell related patents held globally, including critical technologies developed for the new Toyota Mirai. The list includes approximately 1,970 patents related to fuel cell stacks, 290 associated with high-pressure hydrogen tanks, 3,350 related to fuel cell system software control and 70 patents related to hydrogen production and supply.

This decision is similar to what Tesla Motors did back in June when they released all of their own patents to open source usage in the hopes of spurring on development related to fully electric automobiles.

The first generation hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, launched between 2015 and 2020, will be critical, requiring a concerted effort and unconventional collaboration between automakers, government regulators, academia and energy providers. By eliminating traditional corporate boundaries, Toyota hopes to speed the development of new technologies and move into the future of mobility more quickly, effectively and economically.

This move is not completely unprecedented for the world’s largest automaker. Toyota claims that it was instrumental in facilitating the widespread adoption of hybrid vehicles by licensing related patents. Today’s announcement represents the first time however that Toyota has made its patents available free of charge and reflects the company’s aggressive support for developing a hydrogen-based society.

The hydrogen fuel cell patents will be made available to automakers who will produce and sell fuel cell vehicles, as well as to fuel cell parts suppliers and energy companies who establish and operate fuelling stations, through the initial market introduction period, anticipated to last until 2020. Companies working to develop and introduce fuel cell buses and industrial equipment, such as forklifts, are also covered. Requests from parts suppliers and companies looking to adapt fuel cell technology outside of the transportation sector will be evaluated on a case by case basis.

Today’s announcement covers only fuel cell-related patents wholly owned by Toyota. Patents related to fuel cell vehicles will be available for royalty-free licenses until the end of 2020. Patents for hydrogen production and supply will remain open for an unlimited duration. As part of licensing agreements, Toyota will request, but will not require, that other companies share their fuel cell-related patents with Toyota for similar royalty-free use.

Additional details about Toyota’s fuel cell-related patents, including licensing terms and the application process, will be announced in the weeks ahead.

Eric Novak

About Eric Novak

Eric Novak is a father of 4 who also thinks that environmental stewardship is a requisite of parenting. He's not a professional Dad nor is he an environmental scientist, but he's someone who gives a damn and is trying to make the right decisions as he lives his life as a father, environmentalist, part time professor and business owner. Eric has 4 children and resides in Ajax, Ontario.