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Ford Opening Up Electrified Vehicle Patents

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2015 Ford C-Max Hybrid

2015 Ford C-Max Hybrid

Ford announced this week that it will be opening up its electrified vehicle patents to its competitors in order to help quicken industry adoption of new technologies related to electrified vehicles.

The move is comparable to Elon Musk’s June 2014 pledge to open up all of Tesla’s patents to its rivals, as well as Toyota’s move to open its hydrogen fuel-cell patents earlier this year. Ford notes that it filed more than 400 patents related to electrified vehicle tech in 2014 alone, which accounts for more than 20% of all 2014 patents for which Ford applied.

“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.”


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2015 Ford Fusion Energi Plug-In Hybrid

2015 Ford Fusion Energi Plug-In Hybrid

Available patents include patent No. US5764027 (passive cell balancing for battery charging), patent No. US5764027 (regenerative braking that is able to recapture more energy by utilizing friction caused by braking), and patent No. US8880290 (driver feedback interface that can be used to coach drivers into learning better habits).

Patents will be available for a nominal fee directly through Ford’s technology commercialization and licensing office, or through AutoHarvest.


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