If the way to measure the competitiveness of a company in the realm of self-driving technology is the number of patents they hold on the subject, then Tesla isn’t even in the top 10.
According to a survey of patents registered in the US related to self-driving technology conducted by Patent Result Co., Ford Motor Co. tops the list with a competitiveness score of 6,054 and 1,195 patents in force.
In second place is Toyota, with more patents (1,705) but a lower overall competitiveness score of 5,349. Waymo took the third spot with 582 patents and a score of 4,895.
When the rankings were last performed in 2018, Waymo took first place, followed by Toyota and General Motors.
If you’re wondering how the competitiveness score was derived, here is how Nikkei, who commissioned the survey, explains it:
“Patent Result analyzed the competitiveness of a patent by the number of times it was cited in reports by international organizations, the number of times it was challenged by other companies and the number of appeals filed in relation to it. Nikkei then created the list that showed a company to be more competitive the higher it scores.”
Part of the reason for Ford’s rapid rise in the rankings is their acquisition of Quantum Signal AI in 2019. The company specializes in mobile robotics, modeling, and simulation. Ford has already demonstrated the technology in their vehicles last year, and hopes to implement it soon.
