The Patent Scorecard, based on a survey that measures the depth and breadth of patents filed in 2007, is a barometer of which companies are driving technological innovation. GM's 544 patents carried a top, adjusted pipeline power score of 839, which indicates the company's overall patent power.
Also, Popular Science magazine has given GM,
"The U.S. auto industry is a major investor in R&D and a vital part of our
country's science and technology base," said
GM is applying its patent power in clean, efficient and safer vehicle technologies already on the market today as well as vehicles launching in the next few years. They include:
-- Advanced engines and transmissions, as well as aerodynamic and other technologies, that give GM 20 models that achieve an EPA highway rating of 30 mpg highway or better -- more than any other automaker -- for 2009.
-- OnStar telematics services that enhance safety and security, including technology for 2009 that can help immobilize a stolen vehicle.
-- Two-mode hybrid technology that allows a full-size SUV such as the
Chevrolet Tahoe achieve the same city fuel economy as a four-cylinder Toyota
Camry sedan, and the upcoming
-- The Chevrolet Volt, an extended-range electric vehicle that goes into production in 2010 that can travel up to 40 miles on electricity before using any gasoline.
-- Eight hybrid models for 2009, and 15 hybrid models by 2012.
-- The world's largest fleet of fuel cell vehicles -- the Project Driveway market tests. These Chevrolet Equinox vehicles double the energy efficiency of a conventional model while using no gas and producing no emissions.
-- Aggressive investments in alternative fuels, including cellulosic
ethanol, and compressed natural gas in
General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest automaker, has been
the annual global industry sales leader for 77 years. Founded in 1908, GM
today employs about 252,000 people around the world. With global headquarters
in
SOURCE General Motors Corporation