Ford Accelerates Patent Filings

Ford Motor Co. has applied for a company record 5,872 patents in 2015, about 1,000 of which have been approved. The others are pending.

The total, which includes a growing number of patents sought related to electrified cars, automated technologies, car sharing, navigation and wearable devices, is a 36% hike over the number of applications Ford filed last year.

Ford’s EV patents alone have climbed to 400 this year, which is about three times the number five years ago, according to the carmaker. Ford also has received 275 patents for its family of turbocharged direct-injection EcoBoost engines, which it claims is a record for a gasoline system. The company has an additional 200 patents pending for the technology.

In the past three years, Ford’s patents have jumped 140% in Asia and nearly doubled in North America. The company's submissions in Europe have grown by more than 50% during the period.