Toyota pushes hydrogen fuel cell cars with open patent portfolio

Toyota has pledged to make thousands of patents royalty-free to encourage research in hydrogen fuel cell technology.
On Tuesday, the Japanese automaker used the Consumer Electronics Show 2015 held in Las Vegas to make the announcement.

Approximately 5,680 fuel cell related patents will now be available for use royalty-free, including technologies used to develop the Toyota Mirai. Hydrogen and air combine in order to generate electricity through carbon-fiber fuel tanks and front intake grills, powering the vehicle and leaving only water as a by-product.

In total, approximately 1,970 patents which are related to fuel cell stacks, 290 associated with high-pressure hydrogen tanks, 3,350 related to fuel cell system software control and 70 patents linked to hydrogen production and supply will be made available.

Bob Carter, Senior Vice President of Automotive Operations at Toyota Motor Sales USA commented:

"At Toyota, we believe that when good ideas are shared, great things can happen. 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, we can speed the development of new technologies and move into the future of mobility more quickly, effectively and economically."

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