Updated October 15, 2026. Data: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, patent application records, filings 2012–2025. Applications usually become public about 18 months after filing, so 2024 and especially 2025 counts are still filling in. Next update: spring 2027.
Inventors filed 828 U.S. patent applications for electric vehicle charging stations in 2023, about the same as the 825 filed in 2015. Carmakers lead, with Toyota far ahead.
While EV sales grew, the number of new charging station inventions stayed flat at roughly 750 to 950 a year. Newer filings focus more on software, such as pricing, scheduling and managing many chargers at once.
Applications filed each year
Every year
Click a column to sort.
| Year filed | Applications | From small inventors and small companies | Small share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 739 | 140 | 19% |
| 2013 | 797 | 129 | 16% |
| 2014 | 907 | 150 | 17% |
| 2015 | 825 | 125 | 15% |
| 2016 | 934 | 170 | 18% |
| 2017 | 788 | 184 | 23% |
| 2018 | 732 | 163 | 22% |
| 2019 | 860 | 166 | 19% |
| 2020 | 878 | 220 | 25% |
| 2021 | 814 | 236 | 29% |
| 2022 | 882 | 264 | 30% |
| 2023 | 828 | 286 | 35% |
| 2024 (still filling in) | 672 | 195 | 29% |
| 2025 (still filling in) | 421 | 127 | 30% |
Who files the most
Top filers, 2021–2025, counting each application once under the first company or person named:
- Toyota: 280
- Kia Corporation: 130
- Honda: 117
- Ford Global Technologies, LLC: 74
- TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.: 52
- STRONG FORCE TP PORTFOLIO 2022, LLC: 48
- Rivian IP Holdings, LLC: 44
- Volvo Car Corporation: 43
Small inventors and small companies filed 27% of these applications from 2019 to 2023, compared with 30% of all U.S. patent applications.
What it means for electricians
- The hardware is maturing. Steady filings suggest chargers are becoming standard equipment, and installing them is ordinary electrical work. See how to start an electrical contracting business.
- Small inventors’ share rose. They filed 27% of applications in 2019–2023, up from 17% in 2012–2014.
- Charger installs need the right coverage. Before you add EV charger work, review insurance for electrical contractors.
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How we counted
- Source: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, application records for patent applications filed since 2012, searched 2026-10-15.
- What’s counted: applications tagged as electric vehicle charging stations (code Y02T 90/12). A broader category for charging and battery swapping (B60L 53) roughly doubled over the same years, but it also covers in-car power electronics and battery packs. Each application is counted once, in the year it was filed, even if it is listed in several categories.
- Applications, not granted patents. Many applications are later rejected or dropped.
- Recent years are incomplete. Most applications stay private for about 18 months, and some are never published unless granted. Counts for 2024 and 2025 will grow.
- Small inventors are applicants that paid reduced “small entity” or “micro entity” fees: individuals, companies with fewer than 500 employees, universities and nonprofits.
- Top filers are matched on the first applicant’s name. We merged obvious spelling variants, but related companies (for example a parent and its U.S. arm) are listed separately.
- We checked the category by hand. In a random sample of 15 applications filed in 2024, 12 were EV charging stations, chargers or charger management; the others were related vehicle-energy systems. The broader B60L 53 category was only about half charging equipment, so we did not use it for the main count.
Sources
Cite this data
Reporters and bloggers may use these numbers and charts. Please credit StartBusinessByState and link to this page.
Source: StartBusinessByState, “EV Charging Station Patent Filings Have Held Steady for a Decade,” https://startbusinessbystate.com/ev-charger-patents/ (updated October 15, 2026).
FAQ
Are EV charger patents increasing?
Not much. 828 applications were filed in 2023, versus 825 in 2015, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Who files the most EV charging patents?
Toyota (280 applications in 2021–2025).
Where is this data from?
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office publishes records for every published patent application, including the categories examiners assign and whether the applicant paid small-business fees.
Last updated October 15, 2026 by StartBusinessByState.