Patent Board ranks GM No.1 again for auto innovation

It is the third consecutive quarter that GM occupies the top spot for patents. Coincidentally, GM’s first patent was awarded 90 years ago, and today that number exceeds 30,000 patents.

According the latest GM media release, the Patent Board analyzes intellectual property performance across 17 industries and determines the leader in each sector based on measurements that include the number of patents, impact on the industry and technology and science strength.

“We are busy reinventing the automobile, and we’re doing it sustainably with our customers and the environment in mind,” said Alan Taub, GM vice president of R&D. “One person’s vehicle needs can be quite different from the next, so we’re creating designs for various lifestyles – building in technology that delivers a fun, safe, and efficient ride.”

GM engineers imagine what is possible and turn that vision into tangible advanced technologies that can drive the industry. A majority of its patents are tied to improving fuel economy and reducing emissions.

Earlier this year, the Clean Energy Patent Growth Index of U.S. patents ranked GM No. 1 in clean-energy patents across all industries for 2010.

One look at the work GM did on the Chevrolet Volt propulsion system and you realize a tremendous effort was made followed by a tremendous accomplishment in such a short amount of time.

This type of effort has also shown itself in reducing the costs of automotive electrification. A case in point is the eAssist™ technology used on the Buick which allows electric power in low-speed city driving at a cost that is significantly below other propulsion systems. It is fondly called electrification-light in the industry.

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About the Reporter: After 39 years in the auto industry as a design engineer, Frank Sherosky now trades stocks, futures and writes articles, books and ebooks like, "Perfecting Corporate Character," "Awaken Your Speculator Mind", and "Millennial World Order" via authorfrank.com. He may be contacted here by email: [email protected] or via his Twitter i.d. @Authorfranks

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