- Technology: Tesla builds electric powertrain components for vehicles from other automakers, including the Smart ForTwo electric drive (the lowest-priced car from Daimler), the Toyota RAV4 EV, and Freightliner’s Custom Chassis Electric Van.
Tesla Electric Car Recharging Station (USA, 2014)
Unlike other automakers, Tesla does not use single-purpose, large battery cells, but thousands of small, cylindrical, lithium-ion 18650-like commodity cells used in laptops and other consumer electronics devices. It uses a version of these cells that is designed to be cheaper to manufacture and lighter than standard cells by removing some safety features. According to Tesla, these features are redundant because of the advanced thermal management system and an intumescent chemical in the battery to prevent fires.[175] Panasonic is the only supplier of the battery cells for the car company, and cooperates with Tesla in the Gigafactory building the ’21-70′ cells.[176]
Tesla may have the lowest costs for electric car batteries, estimated at US$200 per kWh.[115][175][177] Tesla indicated in 2016 that their battery pack costs less than $190/kWh.[178] Argonne Labs estimates $163/kWh at 500,000 packs per year.[179] Tesla charges US$400/kWh for the 85-kWh battery,[citation needed] US$10,000 more than the 60-kWh battery.[when?] At US$200/kWh, the battery in the 60-kWh Model S would cost US$12,000, while the 85-kWh battery would cost US$17,000. The price increase is closer to US$8,000, because supercharging is included in the higher price. Use of lifetime supercharging was a US$2,500 option for the early 40-kWh and 60-kWh versions of Model S.[citation needed] Achievable capacities may differ.[180]
Unlike the Tesla Roadster, whose battery is behind the seats, the Model S, 3 and X batteries are inside the floor. This saves interior space and trunk space but, together with the low ride of the Model S, increases risk of battery damage by debris or impact. To protect the battery, the Model S has 0.25 in (6 mm) aluminum-alloy armor plate.[181] The battery’s location allows quick battery swapping, which can take as little as 90 seconds in the Model S.[182] Tesla’s first and only battery swap station is located at Harris Ranch, California, and became operational in December 2014.[183] Due to lack of customer interest, battery swapping will not expand.[184] Straubel expects batteries to last 10–15 years,[185] and discounts using electric cars to charge the grid (V2G) because battery wear outweighs economic benefit. He also prefers recycling over re-use for grid once batteries have reached the end of their useful car life,[186] and an analyst agreed.[187] Since 2008, Tesla has worked with ToxCo/Kinsbursky to recycle worn out RoHS batteries, which will be an integral part of GigaFactory.[188][189][190]
Technology sharing: The Tesla Patent Wall at its headquarters was removed after the company announced its patents are part of the open source movement.[191] Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced in June 2014, that the company will allow its technology patents be used by anyone in good faith.[192] Post-2014 agreements were expected to be executed that would include provisions whereby the recipients agree not to file patent suits against Tesla, or to copy its designs directly.[193] Reasons expressed for this stance include attracting and motivating talented employees, as well as to accelerate the mass market advancement of electric cars for sustainable transport. “The unfortunate reality is, electric car programs (or programs for any vehicle that doesn’t burn hydrocarbons) at the major manufacturers are small to non-existent, constituting an average of far less than 1% of their total vehicle sales,” Musk said. Tesla will still hold other intellectual property, such as trademarks and trade secrets, which would help to prevent direct copying of its vehicles.[194]
Kallo uncovered 10 new patent applications that have been filed from January through March. Among the more notable applications includes a patent for hidden ultrasonic sonar assembly and an air filtration with a high-efficiency filter. Other applications focus on vehicle safety and performance, which is notable since the company already boasts a strong safety track record and demonstrates management’s commitment to further improve the safety and functionality of its products. Kallo also suggested that Tesla will be active in designing new technology and patents for its gigafactory, solar offerings and other products. While the analyst will continue keeping a watchful eye on new patents, his bullish stance remains unchanged given six notable catalysts, including:
Tesla’s (TSLA) patents show that the company is not done innovating, giving the stock a lot more room to run, analysts at Baird wrote in a note Thursday. “We believe TSLA will continue to apply for new patents as the company is constantly innovating to improve the quality, safety, and features of its vehicles,” Baird analyst Ben Kallo wrote. “Additionally, we believe TSLA will continue to design new technology for its gigafactory, solar offerings, and other products, which should provide additional opportunities for patent applications.”
| RE46,149 | Sunroof utilizing two independent motors |
| D780,653 | Vehicle trunk lid |
| D777,663 | Energy storage device |
| D775,006 | Motor vehicle front bumper with hood |
| D775,005 | Motor vehicle front bumper with hood |
| D774,435 | Vehicle wheel |
| D773,197 | Seat |
| D766,802 | Vehicle wheel |
| D749,503 | Electric-vehicle connector post |
| 9,614,383 | Self-discharge for high voltage battery packs |
| 9,577,227 | Cell module assemblies |
| 9,568,534 | Battery electronics system |
| 9,559,532 | Charge rate modulation of metal-air cells as a function of ambient oxygen concentration |
| 9,548,616 | Hazard mitigation through gas flow communication between battery packs |
| 9,529,048 | Transient detection of an exceptional charge event in a series connected battery element |
| 9,527,450 | Integrated vehicle-end structure |
| 9,527,403 | Charging station providing thermal conditioning of electric vehicle during charging session |
| 9,509,240 | Electric motor using multiple reference frames for flux angle |
| 9,506,990 | Methodology for charging batteries safely |
| 9,496,775 | Controlling end ring balance in pre-balancing spinning process |
| 9,466,992 | Method and system for servicing high voltage battery packs |
| 9,419,450 | Fast charging of battery using adjustable voltage control |
| 9,409,218 | Extrusion piece with dissimilar ends |
| 9,373,471 | Electromagnetic switch with damping interface |
| 9,356,541 | Gradient coil assemblies having conductive coil portions and screening material |
| 9,352,789 | Torque box with shear planes at inner joint |
| 9,352,785 | Subframe configured to detach upon impact |
| 9,352,784 | Adapter for crush rail and torque box |
| 9,352,783 | Vehicle crush rail with substantially square cells and initiators |
| 9,343,911 | Response to detection of an overcharge event in a series connected battery element |
| 9,340,232 | Extrusion piece with insert of dissimilar material |
| 9,331,552 | Rotor assembly with heat pipe cooling system |
| 9,329,249 | MRIS shim coil |
| 9,318,901 | Response to detection of an overdischarge event in a series connected battery element |
| 9,303,171 | Self-healing polymer compositions |
| 9,293,792 | Self-activated draining system |
| 9,278,607 | Air outlet directional flow controller with integrated shut-off door |
| 9,272,595 | Controlling a compressor for air suspension of electric vehicle |
| 9,263,901 | Secondary service port for high voltage battery packs |
| 9,257,825 | Power electronics interconnection for electric motor drives |
| 9,257,729 | Response to over-current in a battery pack |
| 9,252,400 | Battery cap assembly with high efficiency vent |
| 9,250,020 | Active louver system for controlled airflow in a multi-function automotive radiator and condenser system |
| 9,225,197 | Charging efficiency using variable isolation |
| 9,221,343 | Pyrotechnic high voltage battery disconnect |
| 9,209,631 | Charge rate modulation of metal-air cells as a function of ambient oxygen concentration |
| 9,197,091 | Charge rate optimization |
| 9,187,131 | Localized energy dissipation structures for vehicles |
| 9,182,438 | Wire break detection in redundant communications |
| 9,162,586 | Control system for an all-wheel drive electric vehicle |
Uber wants more intellectual property, launches patent purchase program
Uber wants to grow its library of patents. The company has launched a brand new patent purchase program to facilitate this very aim. Under the awning of the new program, Intellectual Property owners will be able to propose a price that they are willing to take for their particular patent. Once they do so, Uber will have the option of either accepting or declining the same. This will not only give the company the option of quickly accepting the ones it feels are advantageous to it, but will also bring it a literal horde of applications.
Uber has announced a patent application windows that opens on April 24, 2017 and will be closing May 23, 2017. The whole process is expected to take around 4 months and is a significant improvement from the amount of time a patent acquisition process is usually expected to take.
It is a buying program intended to really eliminate the friction of the secondary patent marke. So the typical secondary patent market is challenging, valuations are difficult to identify for both buyers and sellers. Sellers tend to start out really high and buyers tend to start out really low, and negotiations can take years instead of months. So what this program really does is smooth that out. The buyer, in this case Uber, gets one price from the seller – they have to give us one price they’re willing to sell for, no negotiations – and the seller gets speed to close.
The process doesn’t really give the sellers or the patent owners much leverage. However, many IP owners are probably going to go along because they will be able to sell their efforts that much quicker. Uber is actually utilizing an inherent flaw in the human nature through this process. We could very well know that something will fetch us more if we only wait it out, however, the prospect of money rolling in instantly is often enough to weaken our resolve and induce us to sell out at the first decent price that is offered.
What’s more, Uber could well put in some extra effort and engage into direct dialogue where it particularly likes a patent. So yeah, this expedited patent acquisition process outs quite a lot of cards in Uber’s hands. The company is already attempting to grow its patent portfolio through a slew of engineering teams that are working to come up with new IPs. This process, that will see the cab aggregator leverage its well-filled coffers to acquire patents, might help grow its patent library that much faster.
Not only are patents useful and give companies an edge against competition — Uber just might acquire some IP associated with self-driving cars for instance — they also allow companies to generate revenue by the process of licensing their patents to others.
| D784,362 | Display screen of a computing device with graphical user interface of a computer-generated electronic summary or receipt |
| 9,616,896 | System for switching control of an autonomous vehicle |
| 9,616,773 | Detecting objects within a vehicle in connection with a service |
| 9,615,208 | Dynamically controlling the presentation of a graphic feature based on location information |
| 9,603,158 | Optimizing communication for automated vehicles |
| 9,596,666 | System for processing asynchronous sensor data |
| 9,582,003 | Method for maintaining active control of an autonomous vehicle |
| 9,580,080 | Drive-by-wire control system |
| 9,575,837 | System and method for introducing functionality to an application for use with a network service |
| 9,557,183 | Backend system for route planning of autonomous vehicles |
| 9,551,586 | System and method for providing contextual information for a location |
| D776,690 | Display screen with graphical user interface |
| 9,547,309 | Selecting vehicle type for providing transport |
| D775,989 | Illuminatable signage device |
| D775,636 | Display screen for a computing device with graphical user interface |
| 9,537,956 | System for acquiring time-synchronized sensor data |
| 9,536,271 | User-configurable indication device for use with an on-demand transport service |
| D774,521 | Display screen of a computing device with a computer-generated electronic panel for providing confirmation of a service request |
| D774,409 | Illuminatable device |
| D774,083 | Computing device display screen with graphical user interface |
| 9,494,439 | Autonomous vehicle operated with guide assistance of human driven vehicles |
| 9,488,486 | Point of interest search along a route with return |
| 9,482,549 | Determining location information using a location data point provided by a computing device |
| 9,481,393 | Integrated clutch steering system |
| 9,453,739 | Geocoding locations near a specified city |
| 9,432,929 | Communication configuration system for a fleet of automated vehicles |
| D763,294 | Computing device with computer-generated information panel interface |
| 9,412,199 | Draggable maps |
| 9,396,276 | Key-value database for geo-search and retrieval of point of interest records |
| 9,389,096 | Determining location information using a location data point provided by a computing device |
| D760,283 | Computing device display screen with graphical user interface |
| D759,032 | Display screen with a computer-generated electronic panel for providing rating feedback for a computing device |
| 9,305,371 | Translated view navigation for visualizations |
| 9,305,310 | Enabling a user to verify a price change for an on-demand service |
| 9,304,008 | Point of interest search along a route |
| D750,110 | Display screen of a computing device with a computer-generated electronic panel for providing information of a service |
| 9,235,775 | Entrance detection from street-level imagery |
| 9,230,292 | Providing on-demand services through use of portable computing devices |
| D743,978 | Display screen of a computing device with a computer-generated electronic panel for providing confirmation for a service request |
| 9,165,074 | Systems and methods for performing geo-search and retrieval of electronic point-of-interest records using a big index |
| 9,151,614 | Point of interest search along a route with return |
| D738,901 | Computing device display screen with graphical user interface |
| 9,135,353 | High precision internet local search |
| D734,349 | Computing device with computer-generated information panel interface |
| 9,066,206 | System and method for providing dynamic supply positioning for on-demand services |
| D732,049 | Computing device display screen with electronic summary or receipt graphical user interface |
| D724,620 | Computing device display screen with graphical user interface |
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