This document discusses electric vehicles and provides information on their history, how they work, legal status, top players in the market, and design challenges. It notes that the first electric car was developed in the 1830s but that the Electric Car Co of America was granted a patent for an "electrically-propelled vehicle" in 1899. It explains that electric cars use a controller, inverters, electric motor, and transmission to convert electrical energy from batteries into mechanical energy that rotates the wheels. The document also lists the top 10 companies by market capitalization working in electric vehicles and discusses some key challenges like limited driving range and need for more charging infrastructure.

1. US PATENT ANALYSIS –
JUNE 03, 1882 – FEBRUARY 10,
2022

2. ELECTRIC VEHICLES
Electric vehicles date back to the 1800s. An
American Inventor, Scotsman Robert
Anderson, developed the first working electric car
in the 1830s. However, in 1886, Electric Car Co
Of America, filed a patent application
“Electrically-propelled vehicle” which was granted
in 1899.
Earlier this year, the US automobile giant
General Motors announced that it aims to stop
selling petrol-powered and diesel models by
2035. Audi, based in Germany, plans to stop
producing such vehicles by 2033.

3. HOW DOES AN ELECTRIC CAR WORK?
When the car pedal is
pressed, then:
•Controller [C] takes and
regulates electrical
energy from batteries [A]
and inverters [B]
•With the controller set,
the inverter then sends a
certain amount of
electrical energy to the
motor (according to the
depth of pressure on the
pedal)
•Electric motor [D]
converts electrical energy
into mechanical energy
(rotation)
•Rotation of the motor
rotor rotates the
transmission so the wheels

4. LEGAL STATUS
TOTAL - 28,957 PATENTS

6. TOP 10 PLAYERS

7. TOP 10 COMPANIES AS PER MARKET CAP
Name Country Market Cap
Tesla USA $933.96 B
Lucid Motors USA $62.15 B
Rivian USA $56.44 B
NIO CHINA $39.55 B
Xpeng CHINA $36.73 B
Li Auto CHINA $29.66 B
Fisker USA $3.54 B
Nikola USA $3.03 B
Arrival UK $2.55 B
Proterra USA $1.65 B

8. EV – DESIGN CHALLENGES
Shorter Driving Range and Degrading Batteries
Selection of Power Semiconductors
Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure
EV Reliability Is Key
One of the top challenges of vehicle electrification is the limited driving
range of lithium-ion batteries. These batteries provide a range of 249 to 311
miles, while most drivers prefer a range of 435 miles or more. Additionally,
the battery’s design is limited by the size and mass of the pack.
In the future, we are likely to see increased charging infrastructure
as well as faster chargers that will make EVs extremely competitive
with gas vehicles. The current charging infrastructure, however, falls
a bit short. The biggest issue is long-distance travel (think cross-
country road trips), where charging stations are not always available
along your route.
Power conversion systems are essential for modern EVs. For example,
a DC-AC inverter system is used to convert DC from the battery and run
an AC induction motor. A combination of AC-DC converter and DC-DC
converter along with power factor corrector (PFC) is used in charging
systems. These power conversion systems use silicon-based power
semiconductor switches such as power MOSFETs to increase efficiency
and minimize energy loss. The downside is that silicon power MOSFETs
are limited in operating voltage up to 250 volts.
The reliability of powertrain components such as the battery,
motor, and power electronics on the road is a key challenge for
powertrain design engineers as these components are
vulnerable to environmental stresses such as temperature
variation and mechanical shocks.