“Emerging Trends in Battery Technology: A Patent Analysis of Redox Flow, Solid State, and Alternative Chemistry Batteries”

Renewable Energy Drive Spurs Global Patent Filings in Battery Technology

As the global push towards renewable energy intensifies, there has been a significant increase in patent filings related to battery technology. Currently, lithium-ion batteries dominate the market, but they come with a host of disadvantages. These include high energy and water consumption during production, global shortages of raw materials like lithium, nickel, and cobalt, low energy density, and susceptibility to dendrite formation that shortens battery life. Furthermore, the use of flammable organic solvents in liquid electrolytes presents a fire hazard.

These challenges have sparked an upsurge in innovative activity around redox flow batteries, solid state electrolytes, and alternative non-lithium-ion chemistries. This article provides an overview of patent filing trends in these technologies across the United States, Europe, and Canada.

Redox Flow Batteries

Redox flow batteries (RFBs) are a rapidly emerging electricity storage technology that presents an attractive alternative to lithium-ion batteries. Over the last decade, the number of patent families filed in the patent classification relating to RFBs has more than doubled in Europe and the United States. The top filers in these regions between 2017-2021 were US aerospace company Lockheed Martin and Japanese company Sumitomo Electric Industries.

Solid State Batteries

Solid state battery technology offers a promising solution to some of the problems associated with traditional liquid electrolyte lithium batteries. Patent filings at the European Patent Office (EPO) for solid state batteries have been growing on average by 25% per year since 2010. The top filers in the US and Europe include Toyota, Panasonic, and Samsung, while Hydro Quebec was the top filer in Canada.

Alternative Chemistries

Research and development focusing on alternatives to lithium-ion technology is also progressing. Sodium and aluminium chemistries provide two potential alternatives to traditional lithium-based battery chemistries. Between 2012-2021, the number of patent families filed in the patent classification relating to alternative battery chemistries has steadily increased. Top filers include Toyota, Global Graphene Group Inc., and Panasonic in the United States; Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives, Central Glass Co Ltd., and Faradion Ltd. in Europe; and Hydro Quebec, Broadbit Batteries, and Nohms Technologies in Canada.

Outlook

Based on current filing trends, innovation in the key areas of redox flow, solid state, and alternative chemistry batteries is set to continue to accelerate over the coming years. As competition in these spaces intensifies, it will become increasingly important for companies to secure their market share by ensuring that their intellectual property is protected. The surge in patent filings is a clear indication of the growing interest and investment in these technologies, and it is expected that this trend will continue as the world moves towards more sustainable energy solutions.