The automotive industry, a champion of innovation
Published on
Article summary
Did you know that a car contains more lines of code than a commercial aircraft? That it is one of the most recyclable everyday products? Do you know the economic weight of the automotive industry in Europe ? Ahead of the Paris Motor Show, we invite you to discover a series of surprising facts and figures that offer a fresh perspective on the automotive industry. Dive into the expertise behind a sector where some of today’s most significant transformations are taking shape, often far removed from clichés and conventional wisdom. Ready to be surprised?
Has the automotive industry ceded the ground of innovation to energy and telecoms? Patent filings contradict this received idea. In Europe, transport remains one of the five leading technology fields. In France, it is even the leading field of innovation protected by patent, and Renault Group is on the podium of applicants in 2025, with 746 applications.
Key takeaways
- At the European Patent Office, transport is the fifth technology field in 2025, with 9,846 applications, behind computer technology, digital communication, electrical machinery and energy, and medical technology[3].
- In France, transport is the leading field of innovation protected by patent, with a quarter of the applications filed by legal entities with INPI in 2025; the mobility sector accounts for 31% of the companies in the ranking[2].
- Renault Group is France’s third-largest patent applicant in 2025, with 746 applications recorded by INPI, back on the podium for the first time since 2010[1].
- The Group holds more than 11,000 patents, excluding Horse Powertrain[5]; 64% of the patents filed in 2025 relate to electric mobility, batteries, the software-defined vehicle and safety[7].
- Since 1970, more than 2,000 safety-related patents have been filed; in February 2025, the Fireman Access licence was opened free of charge to the entire automotive industry[13].
In 2025, the European Patent Office (EPO) received a record number of more than 200,000 applications[3]. In its Technology Dashboard 2025, transport ranks fifth among technology fields, with 9,846 European patent applications. Only computer technology, digital communication, electrical machinery, apparatus and energy, and medical technology rank ahead of it[3]. Transport covers the car industry but also aerospace, and it keeps its place among the leading fields of innovation in Europe.
In France, transport is the leading field of innovation protected by patent, according to the study published by the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI). It accounts for a quarter of the applications filed by legal entities[2]. The mobility sector, which brings together the automotive, aerospace and transport industries, is also the most represented among the top 50 applicants, with 31% of the companies ranked, ahead of digital and telecoms (19%), then health, cosmetics and chemicals, level with energy (14%)[2]. INPI recorded 16,807 patent applications in 2025, up 8.7% on 2024[1].
Renault Group, France's third-largest patent applicant in 2025
In this INPI ranking, Renault Group ranks third among applicants in 2025, with 746 patent applications, compared with 587 a year earlier. The company is back on the podium for the first time since 2010[1]. The progression has been steady, with 344 applications in 2022, 534 in 2023, 587 in 2024 and 746 in 2025, more than doubling in three years[1][17]. The Group filed 797 patent applications worldwide in 2025; while France accounts for the majority of these applications, the Group’s engineering centers around the world are also actively involved.
The Group's portfolio contains more than 11,000 patents[5]. This figure does not include the patents of Horse Powertrain, the joint venture for combustion engines, transmissions and hybrid systems, which are counted separately[6]. The Group has a community of 1,000 inventors. They work in engineering, industrial design, manufacturing and after-sales[7]. In 2025, 64% of the patent applications concerned electric mobility, batteries, the software-defined vehicle and safety[7]. These four areas are the Group's priorities for the mobility of tomorrow.
How an invention becomes a patent at Renault Group
A patent very often begins with a new idea or a technical problem to be solved. The inventor who has worked on the subject then writes an invention disclosure, the document that precisely describes the invention and the existing state of the art. This disclosure is then passed on to the Legal Department. There, patent engineers centralise all invention proposals and examine them against three criteria: novelty, inventive step and industrial applicability[8]. If the invention meets these criteria, a patent application is drafted and filed with an office, INPI in France, which conducts its own examination before granting the title. Depending on what is at stake, protection can then be extended to other territories. The employee inventor also receives a bonus when the application is filed[8] and, where applicable, when the patent application is extended internationally.
Making inventors' work easier is also a field of innovation in its own right. As a project manager in Renault Group Engineering, Loïc Bezeault works to accelerate the emergence and development of new innovations by exploring novel concepts, testing them under real-world conditions, and helping to transform ideas into tangible value. He has filed an average of a dozen patents per year for the past fifteen years. To support inventors, particularly first-time applicants, he developed an AI-based assistant in 2024. This tool helps draft certain sections of the technical description, such as the definition of prior art—a step that is often time-consuming. "Innovation has to benefit everyone in the end, the Group, the teams and the end user. A patent is a way of guaranteeing its ownership and making it last," he says[8].
Concrete applications for patents
A patent is not an end in itself. At Renault Group, the aim is to meet a customer, societal or industrial need with a useful innovation. The patent protects the invention. Its concrete application is what gives it value. Four recent examples illustrate this approach.
The E-Tech hybrid powertrain is protected by more than 150 patents. They include patents on its multi-mode dog clutch gearbox, which has no clutch and no synchroniser and is central to its energy efficiency[9]. Megane E-Tech electric was launched in 2022. More than 300 patents were filed for the car and its platform, from the oil cooling of the electric motor to the lighter tailgate[10]. New Megane E-Tech electric was unveiled in June 2026. It goes further with an LFP battery in a cell-to-pack architecture. Its 232 pouch cells are integrated directly into the pack, without the intermediate stage of modules. This configuration is a world first for this type of cell. The pack's packing efficiency reaches 53%, to the benefit of range and efficiency[11]. The Alpine A390 has three electric motors and a patented system, Alpine Active Torque Vectoring. In a few milliseconds, it distributes torque between the two rear wheels according to the steering angle, the speed and the driving mode. According to the brand, the benefits are agility, cornering dynamics, high-speed stability and traction[12].
Concept cars can also lead to patents. The Emblème demo car has 27 of them. It illustrates the decarbonisation strategy of Renault Group, with a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions over the whole life cycle of the car.
Renault Emblème demo-car
Renault Emblème was presented at the ChangeNOW show in 2025
More than 2,000 safety-related patents since 1970
Some patents have a direct effect on people's lives. They protect the occupants of a car and help rescue services do their job. Renault Group has filed more than 2,000 safety-related patents since 1970. It has 600 engineers and technicians working on safety[13]. TTheir work draws on the LAB, the Laboratory of Accidentology, Biomechanics and Human Behaviour Studies. This joint laboratory of the French car industry was created in 1969. The Group has analysed real accidents with the LAB since then[13]. According to LAB estimates, this work, combined with public road safety policies, has helped save 350,000 lives and prevented up to 5.8 million injuries[14]. Since 2023, this commitment has been part of the Human First programme[13].
Firefighters also contribute directly to the design of rescue features. As part of this partnership, which dates back to 2010, Renault Group presents itself as the only carmaker in the world to have integrated a fire officer full time within its engineering, in the vehicle safety department[15]. More than 5,000 firefighters from 19 countries, in Europe, North Africa and Latin America, have also been trained by the Group to intervene on its new-generation vehicles[13]. This collaboration makes it easier to access vehicle information and to extract victims. QRescue, a QR code affixed to the vehicle, gives rescue teams immediate access to the model's rescue sheet, for example. It is fitted on 100% of new Renault models[13]. As for the Rescue Seat, developed at the request of firefighters, it makes it easier to extract victims through the rear of the vehicle and saves eight minutes[16].
QRescue provides immediate access to the vehicle’s service record
The Rescue Seat makes it easier to extract passengers
Fireman Access: a patent opened free of charge to the whole industry
Fireman Access solves a major problem for rescue services. It gives them access to the cells of a burning battery. An adhesive disc covers an opening in the casing of the traction battery. In the event of a fire, the jet from the fire hose pushes the disc away. The water then reaches the cells directly. A battery fire can be put out in a few minutes instead of several hours, with ten times less water[13].
The system is protected by seven patents. It is fitted on 100% of the electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles of Renault, Dacia and Alpine[13]. In February 2025, Renault Group made the licence for these patents available free of charge to the whole car industry worldwide, through a platform open to any car manufacturer or parts supplier. There is one condition: licensees must share any improvements they make with the community[13]. The whole industry can use Fireman Access and contribute to its development.
Patent filings confirm the place of transport among the leading sectors of innovation in Europe and in France. At Renault Group, they lead to concrete applications, from powertrains to rescue features. With Fireman Access, the Group has also chosen to share an invention that serves safety.
FAQ
01
What is a patent?
02
Why does a company file patents?
03
Who invents at a car manufacturer?
04
Why open a patent to the whole industry?
An industrial property title that protects a technical invention for a maximum of twenty years, in exchange for its publication. It gives its holder the right to prevent a third party from exploiting the invention without their consent. To be patentable, an invention must be new, involve an inventive step and be capable of industrial application.
To protect its technologies and know-how, recognise the work of its inventors and secure its research investments. A patent portfolio is also a strategic asset, which can be licensed, traded or shared.
Far more people than the design offices alone. At Renault Group, the community of inventors numbers 1,000 people, from engineering, industrial design, manufacturing and after-sales[7].
Some inventions concern everyone’s safety. Their value then goes beyond competition. Fireman Access is a case in point: since February 2025, any car manufacturer or parts supplier has been able to take up its licence free of charge, on condition that any improvements made are shared with the community[13].
Sources
[1] INPI, "Palmarès 2025 des déposants de brevets" (2025 ranking of patent applicants), press release of 27 February 2026, updated 25 March 2026, and table of the top 10 applicants 2015-2025. Renault Group third with 746 applications in 2025 against 587 in 2024; 344 in 2022 and 534 in 2023; 16,807 applications recorded in 2025, up 8.7%. inpi.fr/a-la-une/palmares-2025-des-deposants-de-brevets
[2] INPI, "Palmarès des déposants et titulaires de brevets auprès de l'INPI en 2025" (ranking of patent applicants and holders at INPI in 2025), full study, March 2026, p. 7 and 8. Transport is the leading field of innovation protected by patent at INPI and accounts for a quarter of the applications filed by legal entities; the mobility sector accounts for 31% of the companies in the ranking, digital and telecoms 19%, health, cosmetics and chemicals as well as energy 14% each. PDF available from the ranking page.
[3] European Patent Office, Technology Dashboard 2025, published 2 April 2026. Total of 201,974 applications in 2025, up 1.4%, above 200,000 for the first time. Technology fields: computer technology 17,844, digital communication 17,802, electrical machinery, apparatus, energy 16,997, medical technology 15,905, transport 9,846 (down 1.8%). epo.org/tech-dashboard2025
[4] Renault Group, 2025 Universal Registration Document, p. 61 (French edition), table of Renault Group patents: 797 in 2025, including 3 co-owned with Nissan. assets.renaultgroup.com
[5] Renault Group, 2025-2026 Integrated Report, p. 33 (French edition), "11,000 patents in the portfolio, excluding Horse patents"; 2025 Universal Registration Document, p. 10 (French edition).
[6] Renault Group, 2025 Universal Registration Document, p. 58 (French edition), section 1.3.3.2: Horse Powertrain Limited, created on 31 May 2024, designs and produces internal combustion engines, transmissions and hybrid systems.
[7] Renault Group, Brochure France, July 2026, p. 40: 64% of the patents filed in 2025 relate to electric mobility, batteries, the Software Defined Vehicle and safety; community of 1,000 inventors from engineering, industrial design, manufacturing and after-sales. assets.renaultgroup.com/uploads/2026/08/Juillet-2026-Brochure-France_Cliquable.pdf
[8] Renault Group, intranet article "Breveter nos inventions, un intérêt stratégique" (Patenting our inventions, a strategic interest), 15 April 2026, interview with Loïc Bezeault and box on the role of the Legal Department. Internal source: a public source or written validation is to be obtained before publication.
[9] Renault, press release "Two new-generation full hybrid powertrains on the road with Symbioz and Espace", 16 June 2025: series-parallel architecture protected by over 150 patents, intelligent multi-mode clutchless dog clutch gearbox. media.renault.com
[10] Renault, series "New Megane E-Tech electric: a deep dive into the innovations", 2022, episode 1 (two patents to lighten the tailgate) and episode 4 (oil cooling of the electric motor): more than 300 patents filed during the design of the vehicle and its platform. media.renault.com
[11] Renault, press release "Scenic E-Tech electric: upgraded for improved comfort, connectivity and electric performance", 1 September 2026: cell-to-pack architecture introduced on New Megane E-Tech electric, 232 closely packed pouch cells, a world first, packing efficiency of 53%, boosting both range and efficiency. media.renault.com
[12] Renault Group, magazine, "Alpine A390: Active Torque Vectoring in the service of electric agility", 25 November 2025: patented innovation, distribution of torque between the two rear wheels according to the steering angle, speed and driving mode, for the benefit of agility, cornering dynamics and high-speed stability. renaultgroup.com/en/magazine
[13] Renault Group, press release "Fireman Access, an exclusive innovation by Renault Group, is now available with a free licence", 18 February 2025: 7 patents filed, extinction in a few minutes compared with several hours and ten times as much water without the feature, fitted on all the electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles sold by Renault, Dacia, Alpine and Mobilize, 600 engineers and technicians working on safety, over 2,000 safety-related patents since 1970, QRescue on every new Renault model, over 5,000 firefighters trained in 19 countries, Human First programme launched in 2023, note 3 defining the LAB as an accidentology, biomechanics and human behaviour lab set up in 1969. media.renaultgroup.com. Collaboration with the LAB since 1969 also in the 2025 Universal Registration Document, p. 218 (French edition).
[14] Renault Group, 2025 Universal Registration Document, p. 89 (French edition), and Renault, page "Human first program: safety by Renault", media.renault.com: the work on safety, combined with the measures taken by the road safety authorities and successive governments, has helped save 350,000 lives and prevented up to 5.8 million people from being injured, according to Stéphane Buffat, director of the LAB. The geographical scope is not specified by the source.
[15] Renault Group, magazine, "Road safety: preventing and acting to reduce impacts", 18 February 2025, updated 21 April 2026, section "A partnership with firefighters since 2010": "The only carmaker in the world to have integrated a lieutenant-colonel of the fire service full time". renaultgroup.com/en/magazine
[16] Renault Group, Brochure France, July 2026, p. 32: Rescue Seat, an innovation that makes it easier to extract victims from the rear of the vehicle and saves 8 minutes.
[17] Renault Group, 2025-2026 Integrated Report, p. 18 (French edition), intellectual property trajectory: 344 filings in 2022, 534 in 2023, 587 in 2024, 746 in 2025; more than 2,000 safety-related patents filed since 1970.
