Green Intellectual Property and Automobile Sector

In recent years, the world has witnessed an increased focus on sustainability and environmental consciousness. The automobile sector, being a significant contributor to carbon emissions and environmental degradation, has faced mounting pressure to adopt greener technologies. As a response to this demand, the concept of green intellectual property (IP) has emerged as a catalyst for driving sustainable innovation in the automotive industry. Green IP refers to the protection and utilization of intellectual property rights to promote environmentally friendly technologies, products, and processes.

Green mobility implies the use of environmentally safe transportation technologies, such as hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, and alternative fuels like hydrogen and biofuels. By promoting the adoption of these technologies, India can reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, improve air quality, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Green mobility has become a serious issue in the country for a number of reasons. India, being one of the largest and most rapidly developing automobile markets in the world, has resulted in a significant increase in the number of vehicles on the roads, which has further increased vehicular traffic, resulting in adverse air quality. This adverse air quality due to excessive air pollution causes a plethora of health problems for people living in urban areas.

Another reason involves India's dependence on imported fossil fuels to cater to its energy needs in different sectors, including the transportation sector. Such dependence makes India vulnerable to variations in worldwide oil prices, which may have a significant influence on the Indian economy.

Yet another reason involves India's commitment to minimize its greenhouse gas emissions under the Paris Agreement on climate change. However, the transportation sector is one of the major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in India and accounts for around 15% of the total emissions in the country.

Hence, due to the aforementioned challenges faced by the country, green mobility has become a pressing priority.

Lately, the Indian government has taken various initiatives to encourage green mobility. Such initiatives include the launch of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme. This scheme aims to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles in the country. Moreover, there is a general awareness among people regarding the value of sustainable transportation, which motivates the demand for green mobility.

Green Intellectual Property (IP) implies the protection of innovation relating to environmentally friendly technologies. Green IP is essential to establishing an environmentally safe automobile sector in India and may contribute to a pollution-free nation.

Under the International Patent Cooperation Treaty [PCT], there has been a global increase in patent applications securing protection for technology related to renewable energy and energy-saving technology of approximately 120% between 2006 and 2020. It has been reported that the automotive sector has been a key innovator in the green patent landscape over the last three years, with 491,765 patents.

Worldwide Intellectual Property agencies are encouraging inventions addressing climate change, with some laying out special clauses and forums that connect like-minded inventors. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), for instance, has established a platform known as WIPO Green that links eco-friendly technology solutions to the global innovation ecosystem, thus facilitating exchange and match-making through its online database.

The IPC Green Inventory, an initiative by WIPO, provides a platform to search for patent information related to environmentally sound technologies.

Another initiative, "Green Channel", was launched in the UK in 2009 with the aim of accelerating the assessment of green technology patents. In the same year, Australia, Israel, Japan, South Korea, and the US all introduced similar fast-track programs. Likewise, Canada, Brazil, China, and Taiwan also launched related programs in 2011 and 2012, respectively.

Nowadays, the entire world is encountering a transition toward sustainable development. This transition is powered by the need to manage climate change and minimize the carbon footprint resulting from human activities. Green mobility is one of the most effective solutions to promote sustainable development in the automobile sector. An electric vehicle is one such product offered by green mobility, which aims to ensure a sustainable future. Electric vehicles can be charged using renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power. Moreover, the batteries of electric vehicles can be recycled and reused for other purposes. Several other benefits are offered by electric vehicles, as mentioned below:

• Electric vehicles convert the energy stored in the battery to power the wheels, as compared to energy wasted in heat and other kinds of energy loss in conventional combustion engines.

• Electric vehicles aim to reduce noise pollution, ensuring comfort for people.

• Electric vehicles require lower maintenance as compared to conventional gas-powered automobiles and require less expensive electricity as compared to gasoline.

• Electric vehicles ensure improved performance as compared to conventional automobiles with a lower center of gravity, instant torque, consistent power delivery, scalable power, and regenerative braking.

There are several renowned companies in the automobile industry that are progressively advancing in terms of using greener alternatives, thereby ensuring a sustainable future. Some of the top automotive manufacturing companies have filed several patent applications relating to green technologies, as provided below:

As shown in the above graphical representation, Hyundai Motor India Ltd. has filed approximately 18487 patent applications relating to electric vehicles. Similarly, Tata Motors Ltd., TVS Motor Company, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., and Bajaj Auto Ltd. have filed approximately 1376, 445, 118, and 55 patent applications, respectively. Such a tremendous increase in the number of patent applications is a step towards a greener future.

Another promising technology in the automobile sector that promotes sustainable development is the evolution of hybrid cards. The hybrid car combines the features of two different kinds of engines, including a conventional gasoline or diesel unit and an electric motor. Hybrid cars offer higher fuel efficiencies as compared to conventional gasoline-only vehicles and generate significantly lower emissions, resulting in an affordable, environmentally safe vehicle. Some other benefits of hybrid cards involve less dependence on fossil fuels, a regenerative braking system, energy savings, a smaller engine, an automobile start/stop feature, etc.

The below-provided graphical representation depicts the patent applications filed by leading automobile manufacturing companies.

As shown in the above graphical representation, KIA Corporation has filed approximately 12797 patent applications relating to hybrid vehicles, followed by Honda Motor Company with approximately 11871 patent applications and Maruti Suzuki with approximately 2085 patent applications, thereby promoting green technology with a major emphasis on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and thus improving air quality.

Hydrogen fuel cell technology is yet another highly efficient, renewable, and readily available technology in the automobile sector, ensuring negligible emissions. The demand for using hydrogen as a fuel in the automobile sector rises with the increase in the price of petroleum, as reported for the first time during the 1980s. Since then, several companies have invested in the development of hydrogen-based fuel cell technology, especially for transportation purposes.

Approximately 1800 patent families relating to hydrogen fuel cells in automobiles have been filed and published in India over the past 40 years, until September 2022. Among the filed patents, 68.92% have been granted, while 15.96% are still in the prosecution stage, revealing a significant increase in the number of patent applications related to hydrogen cells over the years.

Further, it was reported that the top 20 companies that filed the maximum number of patents in India include Toyota and Honda. Both of these companies have been at the forefront of research, particularly related to the incorporation of hydrogen fuel cell technology in automobiles. Furthermore, Honda has been testing out vehicular models since the 1990s that run on hydrogen.

Green technology is rapidly increasing worldwide, making a significant contribution towards alleviating the effects of climate change. India is rapidly progressing towards ensuring a sustainable future by indulging in the development of green technology, specifically in the automobile sector. This progress is further strengthened by obtaining or applying for patents relating to environmentally friendly technologies such as electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and hydrogen fuel cell technology. However, there is still a long way to go before we match up with other countries in terms of measures to encourage green technology so as to ensure a sustainable future.

Swaraj Raghuwanshi is a Senior Patent Associate and Aastha Suri is a Patent analyst at S.S. Rana & Co.