Hydrogen station technology development review through patent analysis

Abstract This study is a review of hydrogen station patents using the Derwent Innovation system and also a secondary screening. This was undertaken by the researchers to better understand and identify hydrogen station trends. The review focuses on analyzing the developing trends of patent technologies associated with a hydrogen station. The results of the review indicated that the countries with the major distribution of patents were Japan, China, the USA and Europe. Japan is leading the developmental trajectory of hydrogen stations. The results of the analysis found the leading developers of these patented technologies are Kobe Steel, Nippon Oil, Toyota and Honda. Other active patent developers analyzed include Linde, Hyundai and Texaco. The review concludes with a suggestion that using a patent analysis methodology is a good starting point to identify, evaluate and measure the trend in hydrogen station commercial development.