The large Battery NiMH battery charging patent refers to the allegation that the company's interests have been using a patent system to prevent the commercialization of nickel metal hydride battery technology (NiMH). The technology of nickel metal hydride batteries is potentially vital to the development of battery electric vehicles (BEVs or EVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). Others argue that the commercial development of nickel metal hydride batteries is the result of a technological inability to compete with lighter lithium batteries.
Video Patent encumbrance of large automotive NiMH batteries
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The modern nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) electric vehicle battery was discovered by Dr. Masahiko Oshitani, from GS Yuasa Corporation, and Stanford Ovshinsky, founder of the Battery Company Ovonics, and awarded a patent. The current trend in the industry is toward the development of lithium-ion (Li-Ion) technology to replace NiMH in electric vehicles. In 2009, Toyota tested lithium batteries as a potential replacement for nickel metal hydride batteries used in its gasoline-electric hybrid model Prius. The company said it will continue to use NiMH batteries in the Prius, but will introduce all-electric vehicles based on lithium technology. The Li-Ion technology, while functionally superior due to its specific specific energy and higher power, is more expensive and, in 2009, relatively untested with respect to its long-term reliability. In 2007, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory said that Li-Ion batteries can experience dangerous excessive heat and fire if cells are controlled incorrectly or damaged. In 2011, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigated the safety of lithium-powered vehicles and concluded that they do not pose a risk of fire more than other vehicles.
According to the United States Department of Energy. the main advantages of lithium batteries include high power-to-weight ratio, high energy efficiency, good high temperature performance, and low tendency to spontaneously exit when not in use for a long time. Nickel hydride batteries have a higher self-discharge, tend to produce heat at high temperatures, and have problems with the loss of hydrogen.
Maps Patent encumbrance of large automotive NiMH batteries
General Motors and US Auto Battery Consortium
In an interview in the 2006 documentary Who Kills an Electric Car? Ovshinsky stated that in the early 1990s, the automotive industry created the US Auto Battery Consortium (USABC) to hinder the development of electric vehicle technology by preventing the dissemination of knowledge about Ovshinky's battery-related patents to the public through the California Air Resources Board (CARB).
According to Ovshinsky, the automotive industry mistakenly states that NiMH technology is not yet ready for widespread use in road cars. USABC members, including General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler, threatened to take legal action against Ovshinsky if he continues to promote the potential of NiMH for use in the BEV, and if he continues to lend a test battery to Solectria, a start-up electric vehicle maker that is not part of USABC. Three major automobile companies argue that their behavior violates their exclusive rights to battery technology, as they have been matching federal grants granted to Ovonics to develop NiMH technology. Critics argue that the Big Three is more interested in convincing CARB members that electric vehicles are technically and commercially unfeasible.
In 1994, General Motors acquired an interest in controlling the development and manufacture of Ovonics batteries, including a patent that controls the manufacture of large NiMH batteries. The original intent of the equity alliance is to develop NiMH batteries for EV EVG GM. GM-Ovonics battery sales were later taken over by GM's managers and critics from CARB's John Williams, who made Ovshinsky wonder if his decision to sell to GM was naive. The EV1 program is closed by GM before the new NiMH battery can be commercialized, although field tests that indicate Ovonics batteries extend the EV1 range to more than 150 miles.
Chevron and Cobasys
In 2001, Texaco oil company bought General Motors shares in GM Ovonics. Texaco itself was bought by rivals Chevron a few months later. That same year, Ovonics filed a patent infringement lawsuit against a Toyota battery supplier, Panasonic, leading to a negotiated settlement in 2004. The agreement includes a broad cross-licensing license from each company, a joint research effort to improve the nickel battery technology hydrides and restrictions on the use of Panasonic's large-format NiMH batteries for certain transportation uses until 2007. In 2003, Texaco Ovonics Battery Systems was restructured into Cobasys, a 50/50 joint venture between ChevronTexaco and Ovonics, now known as the Energy Conversion Device Ovicon ). Energy Conversion Devices announced that it has used the option to repurchase 4,376,633 shares from its subsidiary Chevron, and will cancel and return it to an unapproved status. This is the exact number of shares registered as ChevronTexaco in the filing of January 15, 2003.
ChevronTexaco also retains veto rights over the sale or licensing of NiMH technology. In addition, ChevronTexaco holds the right to seize all of Cobasys intellectual property rights if OCDon OCD does not fulfill its contractual obligations. On September 10, 2007, ChevronTexaco (now known as "Chevron") filed a lawsuit claiming that Ovonik ECD did not fulfill its obligations. ECD Ovonics disputes this claim. The arbitration tribunal has been repeatedly postponed while the parties negotiate with General Motors regarding the sale of Cobasys back to GM. As of March 2008, no agreement was reached with GM.
In his 2007 Plug-in Hybrids: Cars That Will Recharge America , Sherry Boschert argues that large-format NiMH batteries (ie, 25 amp-hours or more) are commercially feasible but that Cobasys will only received a very large order (over 10,000) for this battery. The effect is that this policy prevents small companies and individuals from buying it. This also prevents larger car manufacturers from developing new PHEV and EV design test fleets. Toyota employees complain about the difficulty of getting smaller orders of large-format NiMH batteries to service the existing 825 RAV4 EV. Since no other company is willing to make big orders, Cobasys is not manufacturing or licensing large-format NiMH battery technology for automotive purposes. Boschert quoted Dave Goldstein, president of the Washington DC Power Vehicle Association, who said the policy is necessary because the cost of installing a multi-million dollar battery assembly can not be justified without the 100,000 battery (~ 12,000 EVS) warranty guaranteed per year for 3 years. Boschert concludes that, "it is possible that Cobasys (Chevron) extinguished all access to large NiMH batteries through its control of patent licenses to throw competitors into gasoline, or perhaps Cobasys simply wanted the market for itself and is waiting for major manufacturers to start producing hybrid plug- in or electric vehicles. "
In an interview with The Economist , Ovshinsky subscribed to the previous view. "I think we at ECD made the mistake of having a joint venture with an oil company, frankly And I think it's not a good idea to get into business with someone whose strategy will get you out of business, rather than building a business." When asked, "So your opinion that Cobasys prevent others from making it for that reason?", he replied, "Cobasys does not stop anyone." Cobasys just needs a cash infusion.
In October 2007, International Acquisitions Services, Inc. and Innovative Transportation Systems AG filed a lawsuit against Cobasys and his parents for refusing to fill a large, previously approved order, for large-format NiMH batteries to be used in Innovan electric vehicles. In August 2008, Mercedes-Benz sued Cobasys for refusing again to fill a large order previously approved for NiMH batteries.
Legacy status of battery technology Ovonics
Many companies have tried to develop NiMH battery technology without using Ovonik patents. Electro Energy Inc., which works with CalCars, turns the Toyota Prius from a hybrid electric vehicle into a PHEV using its own NiMH bipolar battery. Plug-In Conversion uses NiMH Nilar battery and EAA-PHEV open source control system in its Prius PHEV conversion. These organizations argue that these developments are allowed because their NiMH battery technology is not protected by Cobasys patents. These batteries became commercially available by the end of 2007.
On July 28, 2009, Automotive News reported that Cobasys will be purchased from Chevron and Energy Conversion Devices by battery maker SB LiMotive, a joint venture Bosch and Samsung. At the time of sale of Cobasys 2009, NiMH battery technology control was transferred back to Ovonics ECD. In October 2009, ECD Ovonics announced that their latest generation NiMH battery will provide specific energy and power comparable to lithium-ion batteries at a cost far lower than the cost of lithium-ion batteries.
On February 3, 2010, the patent JP2003504507 was rejected, thus removing patent loading in Japan.
On July 2, 2010, US6413670 patent, expired due to a lack of payment of fees for the 8th year of the filing of the patent, thus eliminating the imposition of patents in the US.
On February 14, 2012, BASF announced that it has acquired Ovonic Battery Company from Energy Conversion Devices Inc. But Chevron Corp. still holds a US6969567 patent for the NiMH multi-cell battery pack for cars.
There may be other patents that are current and may affect the production of multi-cell NiMH battery packs, such as US6969567 patent, which includes multi-cell battery packs and ends 20 years from their priority date, on August 23, 2018. Patent payments for the 4th year 2008) and 8 (2012) are paid.
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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