Ford has made its patents for electric vehicles publicly available to competing automakers in order to help move the needle on how quickly EV technology is developed.
“Innovation is our goal,” said Kevin Layden, director, Ford Electrification Programs in a press release. “The way to provide the best technology is through constant development and progress. By sharing our research with other companies, we will accelerate the growth of electrified vehicle technology and deliver even better products to customers.”
Tesla and Toyota have also made similar moves recently.
Last year, Ford filed more than 400 patents related to electric vehicles, which is more than 20 per cent of the total patents the automaker applied for in 2014. In total, Ford holds more than 650 patents and more than 1,000 pending applications related to electric vehicles. One caveat to this announcement is that Ford is charging a fee to access these patents.
“As an industry, we need to collaborate while we continue to challenge each other,” said Layden in the release. “By sharing ideas, companies can solve bigger challenges and help improve the industry.”
Ford is also set to hire an additional 200 electric vehicle engineers this year for a newly dedicated research facility.
