Ford opens its EV patents for license
By Design Engineering staff
General Automotive Electric Vehicles Ford slideshowAutomaker says it has opened its electric vehicle patents to competitors to boost EV innovation.
The technology patents behind the 2014 Ford C-MAX Hybrid (above) and Ford’s other electrified vehicles have been opened for license in an effort to boost EV innovation, the automaker says.
Following Tesla Motors lead, Ford announced today that it will grant access to its electrified vehicle technology patents. According to the company, 20 percent of 2,000 patent applications it filed last year (approximately 400) were for EV related technologies. Overall, the company holds more than 650 electrified vehicle patents and approximately 1,000 more pending applications. Those technologies produced not only the company’s well Ford Focus Electric and Hybrid, but also its Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid, C-MAX Hybrid and Lincoln MKZ Hybrid.
“Innovation is our goal,” said Kevin Layden, director, Ford Electrification Programs. “The way to provide the best technology is through constant development and progress. By sharing our research with other companies, we will accelerate the growth of electrified vehicle technology and deliver even better products to customers.”
To license Ford’s patents, the company says interested parties can work either through its technology commercialization and licensing office or the automotive collaborative innovation and licensing marketplace, AutoHarvest.
In addition to the new licensing strategy, Ford said it is also looking to hire 200 electrified vehicle engineers in 2015 in preperation for the opening of a new newly dedicated facility, Ford Engineering Laboratories, in Dearborn, Michigan.
www.Ford.com
www.autoharvest.org
