Valeo says it has recorded third place in the 2020 ranking of patent applicants in France, with 819 filed.
The French supplier also notes it was the leading French patent applicant in 2019 with 1,913 filed in a year – of which 53% were in France – according to the list published by the country’s INPI industrial property institutute.
Its innovations are now protected by a portfolio of almost 35,000 patents worldwide.
“This ranking demonstrates Valeo’s high capacity for innovation, the backbone of our strategy,” said Valeo CEO, Jacques Aschenbroich.
“All over the world, our teams create and design technologies that support cleaner, safer and smarter mobility, taking into account the specific features and requirements of local markets. France, which accounts for more than half of our patent filings, evidently remains the stronghold of our Research and Development activities.”
Among the 1,913 patents filed, 53% were filed in France, 21% in Germany, 8% in China, 5% in Japan, 3% in the US, 2% in South Korea, 5% in Europe (excluding France and Germany) and 3% in the rest of the world.
Patents filed by Valeo in 2020 mainly concerned:
- 48V electrification systems, particularly those used in micro-mobility and new mobility solutions, such as bikes, electric three-wheelers, driverless shuttles and delivery droids
- the new generation Scala – the only series-produced LiDAR in the world that is compliant with automotive standards and already in series production – key to automated driving
- smart HVAC systems, which ensure thermal comfort for all in electric vehicles while preserving battery life
- in-cabin air purification systems, which block allergens and viruses, transforming vehicles into ‘health shields’
- smart lighting systems
In 2020, Valeo’s Research and Development expenditure amounted to EUR1.66bn (US$2.02bn) or 12% of the Group’s original equipment sales. Valeo has 63 R&D centres worldwide and 20,000 R&D engineers among its more than 110,000 employees.
Some 94% of the Group’s original equipment sales are derived from technologies that reduce CO2 emissions and improve safety, with 56% of orders received by the Group (including Valeo Siemens eAutomotive) in 2020 for technologies that did not exist three years ago.
One in three new vehicles worldwide is fitted with a Valeo technology that helps to reduce CO2 emissions, while one in four new vehicles is equipped with its driving assistance technology.
https://www.valeo.com/en/valeo-ranked-as-the-worlds-leading-french-patent-applicant-all-sectors-combined/