The automotive industry of the future - introduction to a patent attorney’s perspective
The automotive industry is facing a possible major reshuffle, although who will come out a winner and using what technology is yet not crystal clear. Major manufacturers, such as Volkswagen, have seen their sales dropping the last couple of years and face(d) public scrutiny over environmental scandals, while new-comer Tesla is seeing its market share steadily growing. The major manufacturers, however, would not be major if they gave up this race at the first hurdle and are working hard to catch up and obtain the upper hand.
Predictive reports produced by renowned financial and advisory companies such as PwC, Mckinsey, KPMG, and others, indicate, probably unsurprising to most, that the mayor areas of development for the coming 10 to 30 years will lie in vehicle electrification, connectivity, shared mobility and autonomous driving. These conclusions are much in line with policies adopted in an ever increasing amount of countries around the world, aimed at reducing pollution as well as reducing congestion of areas with high population density.
Basis for these conclusions, however, seemingly are some mere statements which appear based on poll results, and (my best guess, based on the background of the companies having written these reports) financial trends within the industry. Possibly I did not look hard enough, but I was not able to find any evaluations of technological readiness with these reports, indicating gaps which must and can be filled in order to meet these predictions. This is an important piece of the puzzle, when trying to figure out what direction to take in order to stay relevant in this changing market.
Being a patent attorney, I see inventions pass my desk on a daily basis and I know all too well that inventions can only lead to innovation and technological progress if there is a market willing and able to adopt the invention. The reverse is also true: a market wishing for change will not be able to forge technological progress without viable (new) technology being there to allow it to happen. Generally, a balance exists between developmental cost of technology and potential commercial gain, affected by both political and social need/willingness to adopt as well as their financial status.
Also, being a patent attorney I am incredibly curious about the how’s and why’s in the world. Therefore I decided to try and find some of these missing puzzle pieces myself and publish my findings in a series of articles over the weeks to come. I will link these articles to at least one of the following four claims, which I have based on the predictive reports above:
Claim1: ICE vehicles will be replaced by electric ones
Claim 2: all vehicles will be connected in a network
Claim 3: private ownership will be replaced by shared mobility
Claim 4: future vehicles drive autonomously
So please keep an eye out for my upcoming articles and let me know what you think!