April 5, 2019—Toyota announced this week it will open its bank of patents related to hybrid systems, royalty-free until 2030, reported Green Car Reports.
That applies to nearly 24,000 patents it holds on vehicle electrification-related technologies, but it excludes patents on lithium-ion battery technology, which is currently the preferred battery format for battery electric vehicles.
According to the report, Toyota sees the business potential—in fee-based tech support to other manufacturers who are developing (and selling) electrified vehicles “when they use Toyota’s motors, batteries, PCUs, control ECUs, and other vehicle-electrification system technologies as part of their powertrain systems."
