PSA Tops French Patent-Application List Again
Eighty of the auto maker’s patent applications are for the Hybrid Air project. The system improves mild-hybrid powertrains by recovering energy as compressed air and reusing it as quickly as possible with the next acceleration.
PARIS – PSA Peugeot Citroen and its subsidiaries, including supplier Faurecia, applied for more patents last year than any other company in France.
The 1,348 patents it filed made up 7% of the country’s total and were more than double the next-highest number of patent applications, from the French atomic energy agency.
The automotive industry is the leading sector for patents in France, followed by aeronautics, telecommunication, electronics, cosmetics and energy, the French INPI patent agency says in releasing the data.
Supplier Valeo had 393 patent applications, for sixth place, and Renault had 341 for 10th.
"The number of patent applications shows that the (European economic) crisis has not undermined the ability of the French industry to innovate,” says INPI President Yves Lapierre, who notes the number of patent applications dropped only 0.7% from a year earlier.
Three national research agencies on the Top 20 list all have some involvement in automotive areas as well, particularly in the area of electrification of powertrains and other new energy sources.
And while the French account for 75% of patent applications in France, the highest-ranking foreign company on the list is German supplier Robert Bosch.
In a press release, PSA says 116 of its patent applications are associated with its new, lightweight EMP2 platform that cuts 154 lbs. (70 kg) from the architecture of C- and D-segment cars. It will debut on the Citroen C4 Picasso.
Another 80 patents are for the Hybrid Air project, which is planned for launch on a B-segment car in 2016. The system provides a mild-hybrid improvement to powertrains by recovering energy as compressed air and reusing it as quickly as possible with the next acceleration. It is aimed at making cars with fuel consumption of 81 mpg (2.9 L/100 km), or 69 g/km of carbon dioxide.
The auto maker also is awarded patents for diesel-exhaust and association-selective catalytic reduction with the particle filter, connectivity and human-machine interfaces, and other innovations in areas such as convertible tops, interior storage, seating, heating and air conditioning.
This is the sixth year in a row that PSA has led the list.
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