The auto industry may be slowly coming to grips with the idea that they need to be more open for the future of this industry. Tesla, which is a relatively new car company that only makes electric vehicles, opened up its patents last year and said that it would not initiate patent lawsuits against anyone who “in good faith” uses its technology. Now Toyota, the Japanese behemoth, is doing something along the same lines.
Toyota has announced that it is going to share 5,680 patents, related to fuel-cell cars, for free so that hydrogen-powered vehicle technology can be promoted. This happens to be the first time that this company has decided to share patents with the industry without charging a royalty fee.
Fuel-cell vehicles aren’t common right now and it might take years before they replace cars that require conventional fuels, though the industry is under pressure to develop vehicles that use alternative fuels. These vehicles are powered by electricity that comes from combining hydrogen and oxygen, creating only water vapour as the by-product.
Toyota has made this decision as it prepares to launch its fuel-cell sedan in the U.S. and Europe. The Toyota Mirai has a modest sales target, only 700 units globally in 2015, and it will cost $57,500 in the U.S. and €66,000 in Europe.
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