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Hyundai and Kia license Paice’s hybrid vehicle technology, ending litigation

Paice has reached an agreement to license all of its hybrid vehicle technology to Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp. Paice has now licensed all or part of its hybrid vehicle technology portfolio to Toyota, Hyundai/Kia, and Ford. These three companies currently account for 90% of all hybrid vehicle sales in the United States.

The confidential licensing agreement with Hyundai and Kia brings an end to all litigation between the companies. Paice and the Abell Foundation, a Baltimore-based non-profit organization that invested in Paice, filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Hyundai and Kia in US District Court in 2012. After an eight-day jury trial earlier this year, the jury sided with Paice and Abell, awarding $28,915,600.

Hyundai and Kia currently rank third in US hybrid car sales. Last year, the automakers announced plans to triple the number of fuel-efficient cars they offer and aggressively grow its sales in the eco-friendly car market by 2020.

Dr. Alex Severinsky formed Paice in 1992 with the support of the University of Maryland incubator program. Paice secured its first US patent—the ‘970 patent—in 1994.

Following a year of development with Lockheed Martin, Paice unveiled a prototype of the Paice Hyperdrive technology in October 1999 at Roush Industries’ testing facilities in Michigan. In dynamometer tests of a prototype simulating a Cadillac DeVille, gas mileage improved from 24 miles per gallon with a V8 engine to 44 miles per gallon with a Paice hybrid electric design utilizing a 4-cylinder engine. All aspects of vehicle performance were maintained and emission levels were greatly reduced.

A 2010 study by Griffith Hack reviewed more than 50,000 hybrid patents and ranked four Paice patents among the 10 most important in the industry. Today, the company has 29 US and foreign patents related to hybrid vehicle technology.

Paice has previously licensed its hybrid technology to Toyota and Ford. Toyota secured a global license for all Paice technology in 2010. Ford signed a limited licensing agreement in 2010 that applied only to Paice’s first patent. When the companies were unable to reach a licensing agreement on subsequent patents, Paice filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Ford in 2014. That lawsuit has been stayed pending the resolution of inter partes review proceedings before the US Patent Office.

Comments

Henry Gibson

Right now electric hybrid automobiles are one of the most if not the most expensive way to improve automobile fuel efficiency. Enhanced hydraulic hybrids can save half the fuel used in automobiles and bigger vehicles. Ian Wright the inventor of parts of the PRIUS only proposes heavy vehicle electric hybrids except for experimental vehicles. No big batteries are needed to save half the fuel use in the various tested ways to make a hydraulic hybrid automobile. No long range electric or hybrid electric vehicles should ever be built or sold except for very wealthy users. ..HG..

HarveyD

Not always so. Our Toyota Hybrids are performing very well and supply the claimed consumption savings after a combined 100,000+ Km. The new Prius is doing even better at close to 60 mpg (when my wife is driving).

That's an excellent relatively low cost first step on the road to reduced oil imports for USA and Canada and many other countries.

Of course, PHEVs, BEVs and FCEVs will do even better when sales increase by a few millions

SJC

If think a good 48 volt hybrid could be one of the most cost effective ways to improve mileage. The acceleration from stop takes a lot of energy, this is where motors come in alone with regenerative braking.

Arnold

29,000,000dollrs for a settlement for some or all of 29 US and foreign patents related to hybrid vehicle technology.
TESLA 1 was shooting for $1/W royalty for his AC motor patent and died a broken man.How much would that be worth today?
Post Paris and one could wonder about Copenhagen's technology transfer ambitions.
Sometimes politicians pursue noble aims likely knowing the challenges can't be met but that the outcomes are critical to the desired outcomes.
The bad side to these licences where denial results in hardship or worse works against the citizens interests.There are precedents where the social outcomes are deleterious and can be disqualified.
On the other hand Inventors and private venture or angel capital needs incentive.
It could be beneficial for energy efficiency or greening patents to find compensation from public funds to compensate for compulsory acquisition as a cost efficient mitigation strategy.

That 29 million might be as incomprehensible to my accountant (and I'm not) but as a disincentive to any company it will stall and delay technology rollout.
Everyone says technology rollout etc needs to be ramped up at Manhattan level priority.
We live in hope.


Arnold

$1/HP.

Dr. Strange Love

The commoner values fuel consumption and efficiency after their desires to drive around in a Fast, Sexy, Shiny Sleek looking vehicle is satisfied. That vehicle must also have the ability to carry 5 adults in 110 degree sweltering heat for 450 miles between fueling all awhile keeping its occupants comfortable in 65 degree ambient temps. That vehicle must also have enough trunk space to hold 2 ton load of gravel without any hint that the GVWR is being compromised.

The commoner will not consider what a hybrid vehicle can do for them 'Unless their Carnal Desires' are satisfied.

The commoner will know that a vehicle is different if the Energy Recovery components of the Hybridized vehicle impose on their carnal desires for such a vehicle, and this includes having such components impose on their ability to haul people and cargo (the trunk space cannot be limited either).

Mild electric (48V), Hydraulic, or todays Lithium Ion setups are of no Particular favor as far as the Commoner is concerned. They just want what they want.

Dr. Strange Love

Fyi. My wife and I drove a 2016 fully loaded Ford Fusion Hybrid this past weekend. Really cool. The 1st time I drove a hybrid was a Prius in 2010, so I wanted my wife to experience a Hybrid since we are in the market to purchase a new vehicle for her. She liked the Fusion until we opened the Trunk. She is 2nd grade school teacher, and most teachers like my wife have a rolling-like cargo basket that they haul between home and the classroom each day. Needless to say, this Basket will not slip and fit in the trunk of the Fusion because the Batteries are an imposing obstruction.

My wife and I were deflated when we opened the Trunk after our Test drive.

Argghhh!!!

Sirkulat

The PHEV plug-in hybrid list of benefits and advantages over the other EV (and hydraulic) drivetrains is long; fuel economy is NOT the most important benefit. The safety advantage of regenerative braking is lost with hydraulic drivetrains; electric drive itself is a safer propulsion system than standard drivetrains. The relatively small PHEV battery pack is consequently less prone to overheating and fire. Households with EVs gain a backup power system, especially important in an emergency grid failure and with PHEVs a 'portable' power source less dependent upon the grid and better suited to affordably smaller rooftop photovoltiac arrays. The limited all-electric driving range of PHEVs offers an economic incentive to drive less, whereby walking, bicycling and mass transit may serve more travel needs, thus reducing the traffic hazards of driving for all purposes. New models of PHEVs more adaptably serve as light duty utility vehicles than BEVs and FCEVs. The questions of vehicle safety, EV compatability to utility grids, PV solar and vehicle fleet needs should be integral to the discussion of conversion to electric drive.

SJC

DSL
You might want to look at the 2016 Malibu hybrid 40+ mpg midsize.

Arnold

Sirkulat,

Technically a hydraulic hybrid is all about regen or recouperation including braking at the tailshaft.
I suspect you are thinking of conventional hydrostatic drive or a hydraulic 'automatic transmission'.
But electric motor drive(s) is now seeing the application of stability control directly interfacing with the whole all the
electronic smarts that enable driverless operation including preemtive 'effectively over the horizon radar' via the cloud.

The only battery pack or any electrical system that is less prone to heating affects is the one that has a properly refined designed.

I like your reference to PHEV's fit with autoambulator behaviours that have thier own virtuous outcomes.

Dr Strange Love,
Agreed consumers are very demanding!
It might be possible to have factory fitted or aftermarket upgrade to disguise the over the top bling to a 'scrubber or junker' style at a small extra cost.
There are whole neigbourhoods where this can be achieved from a short drive thru.

Sirkulat

Whatever you're smoking, Arnold, isn't helping your counter-argument. I'll admit my arguments are complex, but simplified with common terminology. Driverless vehicle technology is like putting the cart before the horse; just converting vehicles to electric drive would be more beneficial and necessary before any practical application of safety features possible with computer control. Driverless tech is a devious ruse meant to mislead motorists into believing we can continue driving like chickens with their heads cut off.

Arnold

Could be something in the water or just a bit of mindless obscure humour. More seriously though,

"Counter argument" is a bit strong
There are arguments for and against and while simplifying technical language is admirable, simplifying a complex argument can lead to a loss of perspective.

I would stand by the technical correction especially as the more advanced e traction packages that give the enhanced safety features YOU referred to rely on the same driverless sensor technologies which you then go on to dismiss as unhelpful.

Hydraulic hybrid systems use engine braking to recharge the accumulator. There are particular cases where it has shown very substantial fuel saving benefits as well as noise reduction especially in waste services apps.

That reckless inattentive inconsiderate behaviours drink or drug driving mobile phone use as well as inexperience fatigue etc are so prevalent that it is IMO reasonable to consider the options in the interests of harm reduction.

I don't quite see why that technology should not be made available or that it diverts resources away from ev rollout.

I do have concerns about adding of cost to baseline vehicles and the cost effectiveness of medium to long term maintenance as electronic systems can degrade sequentially or simultaneously. The more things to go wrong - will.
Short lifetimes could drive higher turnover and the demands on resources etc.

There are also practical considerations as older vehicles struggle to be as nimble, fast or stop at rates compatible with new technologies.

The people who are designing the driverless systems are not necessarily being diverted from the basic drivetrain or coachwork development and there is a benefit from the expanding knowledge based industries workforce.

The bigger omission was to leave open to misinterpreting a reference to driving in dangerous neighbourhoods that should have included whole countries and regions of the world where armoured vehicles would be more practical than the good
doctors 'sleek and sexy glamour cars'.


Sirkulat

Enhanced hydraulic hybrids saves half the fuel says HGibson as if.
Electric motor drive now applying stability control interface with electronic enabling driverless operation and pre-emtive over-the-horizon radar via the cloud... Huh? Whaa?

The battery pack electrical system less prone to
heating has a properly refined design?, like, whatever?

Oh what the hell? Most households NEED an electrical backup power system readily achieved with household/rooftop PV to EV energy systems.
PHEVs offer more benefit/advantages than BEV/FCEVs.
Hydraulic drive MY ASS.


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