By Yukinobu Sakamoto / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer LAS VEGAS —
Toyota Motor Corp. announced in Las Vegas on Monday it will offer about
5,680 patents related to its fuel cell vehicle (FCV) technologies free of charge, even to rival companies.
*patent=パテントゥ=特許
*fuel cell vehicle=燃料電池車
Toyota will open up the patents that it holds worldwide to encourage more companies to make FCVs more popular.
The car company made the unprecedented decision saying it is difficult for it to promote FCVs on its own.
*unprecedented=アンプレスィデンティッドゥ=先例のない
*on one's own=単独で(alone), 独力で(by oneself)
Except for certain parts of the patents, they will be offered free of charge by the end of 2020. With this measure, Toyota aims to have 10,000 FCVs on the roads worldwide by then.
Toyota put its first FCV model, Mirai, on sale in Japan in December.
To promote FCVs, hydrogen refueling stations need to be constructed, along with other measures.
*hydrogen refueling station=水素ステーション、水素スタンド(←水素の燃料を補給するステーション)
Toyota decided it was essential to encourage other automakers to enter the FCV production business and also to obtain cooperation from energy companies.
Industry sources said it is the first time for Toyota to offer its patents to others free of charge. Though Toyota has offered patents related to the development of other eco-friendly cars in exchange for money, the automaker will change the business policy.
The Mirai cars will be released in the United States in October this year, and Toyota expects to sell 3,000 units of the model by the end of 2017.
Ahead of Tuesday’s opening of the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Bob Carter, senior vice president of Toyota’s North American unit, told reporters Monday that Toyota believes priority should be placed on encouraging rival automakers to manufacture FCVs.
Among the royalty-free patents, about 5,320 are related to fuel cells, about 290 are related to hydrogen tanks and about 70 are related to hydrogen stations.
Most of the patents are scheduled to be offered for free by the end of 2020. Those related to hydrogen stations will be offered for free for an indefinite period, as construction of the facilities has been remarkably delayed.