Toyota will invite royalty-free use of approximately 5680 fuel cell related patents it holds globally. The list includes approximately 1970 patents related to fuel cell stacks, 290 associated with high-pressure hydrogen tanks, 3350 related to fuel cell system software control, and 70 related to hydrogen production and supply.

Toyota announced the initiative at this week’s 2015 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

‘The first-generation hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, launched between 2015 and 2020, will be critical, requiring a concerted effort and unconventional collaboration between automakers, government regulators, academia, and energy providers,’ says Bob Carter, Senior Vice President of Automotive Operations at Toyota Motor Sales USA.

‘By eliminating traditional corporate boundaries, we can speed the development of new technologies and move into the future of mobility more quickly, effectively, and economically,’ he continues.

Toyota has previously opened up its intellectual property through collaboration, and was instrumental in facilitating the widespread adoption of hybrid vehicles by licensing related patents.

This announcement represents the first time that Toyota has made its patents available free of charge, and reflects the company’s aggressive support for developing a hydrogen-based society.