Chinese companies have filed more patent applications related to electric vehicle charging and battery swapping than any other country, according to a report by a Tokyo patent analysis company.

The report by Patent Result shows that from 2010 to 2022, Chinese companies filed 41,011 patent applications in these fields, making significant progress in key technologies that enable faster and more convenient charging experiences.

The report says that China’s total number of applications was about 50% more than Japan’s, which ranked second with 26,962 patents. Germany was third with 16,340 patents, followed by the US with 14,325 patents and South Korea with 11,281 patents.

Many Chinese companies seem to focus on faster charging time, which is a key step for widespread adoption of electric vehicles. Among their accumulated applications, 17% involved fast charging technology and 10% involved battery swapping technology, much higher than the 1% to 3% of Japanese, German and American carmakers.

Other key areas that Chinese companies focused on include charging station design and control, power transmission and wireless charging.

Hiroto Suzuki, managing partner at the Tokyo office of consulting firm Arthur D. Little, said: “The electric vehicle market is maturing rapidly in China, leading to intensified competition among companies. Charging convenience has become an important way to differentiate different models.”