Ranking of autonomous driving technology patents: Ford and Toyota rank first and second

Guidehouse Insights rankings have always been one of the more recognized rankings in the field of autonomous driving. It comprehensively evaluates 15 global autonomous driving companies from ten dimensions: corporate vision, market strategy, partners, production strategy, technology, sales & marketing & distribution, commercialization, R&D progress, product portfolio, and financial strength. At the same time, based on execution and strategy capabilities, Guidehouse divides these players into four levels: "leader", "competitor", "challenger", and "follower".

In the 2021 Guidehouse Insights ranking report of 15 autonomous driving companies, Waymo is still in the lead, followed by Nvidia, Ford-backed autonomous driving startup Argo AI, and Chinese Internet giant Baidu, while Tesla ranks last.

However, this ranking also has great limitations, because the sample size is relatively limited, and there are many subjective factors in the evaluation. If we compare the true technical strength, the number of patents should be one of the more objective indicators.

Recently, the 2021 autonomous driving patent ranking compiled by Nikkei was released. The ranking was based on a survey of patents registered in the United States conducted by Patent Result Co. at the end of January.

Ford and Toyota have surpassed Waymo, the self-driving car company owned by Google parent Alphabet, which topped the list in July 2018.

As driverless technology moves closer to practical application, automakers are now threatening the one-stop IT powerhouses that once led the market because of their extensive expertise in traditional car manufacturing.

The report shows that 12 Japanese companies, including Sony, and major automakers such as Toyota, Honda Motor and Nissan Motor are among the top 50 on the list. But on public roads in the United States, the total distance driven by Japanese players still lags behind their American and Chinese competitors.

In the survey commissioned by Nikkei, the patent results analyzed the competitiveness of patents by the number of times the patents were cited in reports by international organizations, the number of times they were challenged by other companies, and the number of appeals related to the patents. Nikkei then created a list that showed the higher the company's score, the stronger its competitiveness.

Ford topped the list with 6,054 points for 1,054 active patents, followed by Toyota with 5,349 points for 1,705 patents.

Waymo slipped to third place with 4,895 points out of 582 patents.

Well-known automakers and auto parts suppliers took seven of the top 10 spots. Ford Motor scored 260% higher than in the previous survey, while Toyota's score jumped 140%. Waymo also performed well, with a 70% increase in its score this time.

Toyota and Ford have surpassed Waymo by significantly increasing their autonomous driving patents. The two companies now have 2.5 times more active patents than they did in 2018. Waymo also increased its number of patents, but the increase was not significant.

Another reason for the growth of traditional automakers is that they have a large number of patents in traditional automotive technology. As autonomous driving technology becomes more practical, these patents are increasingly cited and targeted in appeals.

In terms of competitiveness of powertrain technology, Toyota topped the list with 3,467 points, followed by Ford with 3,137 points. Waymo trailed with 2,486 points.

Ford and Toyota have highly competitive technologies in adjusting motor output and building steering systems. In particular, Ford leads its competitors in automatic parking technology, with a relevant score of 1,115 points, three times and five times higher than Toyota and Waymo, respectively.

Ford has taken a leading role in this field by acquiring Quantum Signal AI, a company focused on mobile robotics, modeling and simulation, in 2019. The automaker is expected to equip its vehicles with this technology in the near future, given that it was successfully demonstrated in the United States in 2020.

Chinese and South Korean companies have also established a respectable presence among the top 50 participants. In previous surveys, only one South Korean company, Hyundai Motor, was in the top 50. However, this time five South Korean companies and two Chinese companies made the list. Baidu ranked 23rd, and multinational electric car manufacturer NIO ranked 35th.

Some IT giants have withdrawn from the competition. At the end of January, Uber Technologies sold its self-driving unit, Uber Advanced Technologies Group, to self-driving car startup Aurora Innovation.

Lyft announced in late April that it would sell its self-driving car unit to Toyota. Some IT companies are exiting the market following a number of high-profile media mishaps in recent years.