It Is All In The Intellectual Property

Although many are forecasting a battle for supremacy between electric and hydrogen vehicles, the future zero-carbon mobility sector will almost certainly need both. However, in a world of fast-track progress and innovative start-ups the business model will be different to traditional automotive development with licensing and IP rights coming to the fore.

In the world of electric vehicles, some commentators, and social media influencers such as Elon Musk, have been trying to pit batteries against fuel cells in a kind of VHS vs Betamax-esque war, where only one technology can win and take all the spoils. However, according to Dr Rebecca Lovell, Chartered (UK) and European Patent Attorney for Marks & Clerk, batteries and fuel cells each have their own different strengths and weaknesses, and neither technology is a panacea for all transport applications, so there is more than enough room in the market for both technologies to happily co-exist. For example, batteries are