Five years ago, the biggest debates around electric vehicles were about whether people would really buy them, whether charging stations would ever be convenient enough, and whether batteries could match the promises printed on glossy brochures. Fast forward to 2025, and those questions feel almost outdated. More than 17 million EVs rolled onto the roads in 2024, governments from Europe to Asia are writing deadlines for combustion bans into law, and charging networks are spreading faster than coffee chains in big cities.
However, the real story isn’t just on the streets. It’s in the patents being quietly filed every week: blueprints of where the industry is heading next. Panasonic is betting on anode-free batteries to deliver 25% more energy density. Huawei envisions cars that run 3,000 km on a single charge and refill in just 5 minutes while LG Energy Solution is turning its innovations into a global licensing powerhouse. These aren’t press releases, they’re strategic stakes in the ground, shaping who will own the future of mobility.
This article captures that race. We’ve ranked the top 50 companies with the most EV-related patents published between 2020 and 2025. Together, they form the map of where innovation is heading and hint at who might hold the steering wheel of the electric future.
Top 50 Companies with Electric Vehicle (EV) Patents (2020 – 2025)
| Rank | Company | Headquarter Country | Published Patents (2020 – 2025) | Published Patents in 2023 | Published Patents in 2024 | YoY Change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyundai | South Korea | 4208 | 872 | 792 | -9.17 | |
| State Grid Corporation Of China | China | 4113 | 782 | 963 | 23.15 | |
| Toyota | Japan | 4005 | 567 | 865 | 52.56 | |
| Kia | South Korea | 3257 | 688 | 641 | -6.83 | |
| LG | South Korea | 2957 | 490 | 490 | 0.00 | |
| Samsung | South Korea | 2949 | 685 | 543 | -20.73 | |
| Aulton New Energy | China | 1848 | 426 | 554 | 30.05 | |
| Honda | Japan | 1811 | 302 | 253 | -16.23 | |
| Ford | USA | 1679 | 275 | 308 | 12.00 | |
| Robert Bosch | Germany | 1558 | 267 | 267 | 0.00 | |
| BYD | China | 1493 | 232 | 247 | 6.47 | |
| Huawei | China | 1454 | 292 | 386 | 32.19 | |
| Semiconductor Energy Laboratory | Japan | 1343 | 188 | 257 | 36.70 | |
| TAILG | China | 1298 | 358 | 378 | 5.59 | |
| Dongfeng Motor Corporation | China | 1036 | 145 | 229 | 57.93 | |
| FAW Group | China | 1006 | 240 | 223 | -7.08 | |
| Mitsubishi | Japan | 924 | 142 | 158 | 11.27 | |
| Geely | China | 857 | 165 | 189 | 14.55 | |
| General Motors | USA | 831 | 137 | 263 | 91.97 | |
| Chery | China | 796 | 158 | 125 | -20.89 | |
| Nissan | Japan | 742 | 127 | 139 | 9.45 | |
| AIMA Technology | China | 707 | 244 | 138 | -43.44 | |
| Volvo | Sweden | 707 | 172 | 174 | 1.16 | |
| Hitachi | Japan | 701 | 153 | 153 | 0.00 | |
| ZF Friedrichshafen | Germany | 690 | 155 | 156 | 0.65 | |
| Beijing Electric Vehicle | China | 671 | 49 | 65 | 32.65 | |
| GAC Group | China | 622 | 181 | 96 | -46.96 | |
| CATL | China | 594 | 136 | 126 | -7.35 | |
| Porsche | Germany | 582 | 123 | 124 | 0.81 | |
| Dianba Technology | China | 572 | 124 | 203 | 63.71 | |
| Panasonic | Japan | 571 | 104 | 126 | 21.15 | |
| Murata Manufacturing | Japan | 558 | 74 | 60 | -18.92 | |
| BMW | Germany | 538 | 77 | 154 | 100.00 | |
| Rivian | USA | 531 | 129 | 216 | 67.44 | |
| Mercedes-Benz | Germany | 524 | 104 | 142 | 36.54 | |
| Subaru Corporation | Japan | 489 | 94 | 137 | 45.74 | |
| Audi | Germany | 488 | 121 | 66 | -45.45 | |
| Valeo | France | 485 | 121 | 105 | -13.22 | |
| Suzuki | Japan | 480 | 88 | 79 | -10.23 | |
| Sumitomo | Japan | 473 | 77 | 90 | 16.88 | |
| BOE Technology | China | 468 | 70 | 123 | 75.71 | |
| ABB | Switzerland | 446 | 108 | 99 | -8.33 | |
| Volkswagen | Germany | 442 | 69 | 70 | 1.45 | |
| Siemens | Germany | 380 | 35 | 78 | 122.86 | |
| Denso | Japan | 372 | 47 | 83 | 76.60 | |
| Fujifilm | Japan | 361 | 86 | 52 | -39.53 | |
| Great Wall Motor | China | 333 | 69 | 58 | -15.94 | |
| PSA Automobiles | France | 331 | 53 | 99 | 86.79 | |
| Jaguar Land Rover | United Kingdom | 324 | 60 | 73 | 21.67 | |
| Mahle | Germany | 312 | 61 | 90 | 47.54 |