• Perhaps the most newsworthy announcement came when Toyota said it would make all of its 5,680 patents related to fuel cell technology available, royalty-free, to anyone in hopes of driving more innovation.
  • Toyota did something similar when it was developing the technology for its popular hybrid cars, but this marks the first time it has made its patents available free of charge. Tesla also gave away its patents last year.
  • However, one problem for Toyota is that it needs hydrogen fueling stations built in cities. It has received $47 million from the state of California to help build 28 stations there and has other partnerships to set up stations in the northeastern U.S. Carter noted that by 2020, Toyota’s fueling infrastructure will reach “sustainable growth.”

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