GM Earns Spot as Top Innovator

Two leading studies have recently identified General Motors (GM) as one of the top innovators in the automotive field, with special achievements in the field of clean energy technologies. The studies were based on information gathered by the Patent Board and Clean Energy Patent Growth Index. Both these indicators demonstrated that GM has the largest number of filings for patents in the automotive field, with many of them related to creating better clean energy technology.

General Motors’ high innovation rating represents the 11th quarter in a row that the Patent Board has identified the company as the top patent filer. In the area of clean energy technology, GM is ahead of all American companies in the number of patents that have been granted since 2002. Since patents are used to protect new intellectual property, the number of patents is a strong indicator of a company’s level of innovation. The number of patents filed by GM in the past 12 months totals 1,643.

The study of GM by the Patent Board also focused on the use of best practices, analysis of the individual patents and the level of GM’s investment in acquiring new intellectual property. General Motor’s high ranking on acquiring clean energy patents is especially significant because so-called “green” patents are the fastest growing category of automotive related patents in the United States. In the especially coveted area of cell patents, GM outperformed all other car companies. The overall effect of these patents will be to help reduce the environmental effects of the emissions of GM cars and trucks.

The fuel cell patents obtained by GM could be especially important, since this technology may eventually make possible vehicles that can use renewable energy such as hydrogen instead of the dirtier oil based fuels typically used by today’s internal combustion engine. In cars, the technology will initially involve electric hybrids and hydrogen fuel cells. In time, these same technologies could be used to advance an array of alternative energy technologies, such as solar, wind, biofuels and tidal and geothermal energy.

Over two dozen of the new patents were applied to the new automatic transmission to be made available in the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. This will improve the efficiency and level of performance of the Stingray, which in 2014 has already been declared the North American Car of the Year. This increase in efficiency is expected to be as much as five percent over the previous model.

The unprecedented innovation track record of General Motors is more than just a business success story. These new patents and resulting technological innovations also make a valuable contribution to ensuring a clean and safe environmental future for us all.