Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD has applied for nearly 16 times more patents than Tesla in the past 20 years. BYD uses legal frameworks to protect its battery technology, while Tesla relies on hard-to-replicate production techniques.

Data from Patent Result, a Tokyo-based patent analysis company, shows that Tesla applied for 836 patents from its founding in 2003 to 2022, while BYD applied for more than 13,000 patents. Patent lawyer Hideto Kono said that Tesla’s patent applications should be “at least 10 times” the current number given its size.

The analysis shows that more than half of BYD’s patents are related to batteries. The company produces its own batteries to lower the cost of its electric vehicles, and patent battery technology can be obtained by dismantling, so patents are very important. In addition, BYD also applied for many patents related to cost reduction.