electric battery; electric vehicle; mobility; green patents; technological prospecting
The present study discusses green technologies in the field of technological prospecting in patent documents based on the analysis of applications for granting patents of electric battery for electric powered vehicle, which are included in the Green Patents Program requested and granted by the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI). Green patents are those that are developed based on environmentally healthy technologies (HSTs), aimed at the environment. In this context, the electric battery was researched as an alternative source of energy for electric vehicles. From a methodological point of view, a search strategy has been formulated for the selection of symbols of the International Patent Classification (IPC), based on the keywords “green technologies”, “electric vehicle” and “electrical battery”. The search was done in the INPI database, by searching for patent documents included in the Green Patents Program, in the coverage period 2012–2022. The Programme, whose main objective is to speed up the examination of patent applications related to clean technologies, contributes to the fight against global climate change. Research was carried out based on the examination of INPI’s Green Patent Program patent documents to determine the direction and potential of technological advancement in the electric vehicle sector (VE). Patenteometric methods have been used to show that, despite a small number of green patents related to electric vehicle batteries, included in the INPI Green Patents Program, Brazil has an encouraging outlook for automotive electrification. The research revealed the progressive monopoly in the production and patent applications of electric batteries by foreign countries, suggesting the importance of fostering new strategies to accelerate research and develop competitive and innovative means in this green technology sector.