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Samsung Group has filed for a patent for electric vehicle technology. The patent covers technology and parts that can be used in electric vehicles. Although they insist this doesn’t mean they intend to enter the EV (Electric Vehicle) market, what does it mean?

You could argue that a company like Samsung files hundreds of patents that never make it to a final product but it says something about what they are thinking, and also says something about what the impact the automotive industry is having in the ‘traditional’ consumer electronics world.

Consumer electronics companies are looking to the automotive world to widen their net in the quest for revenue in overcrowded consumer electronics sectors. One patent filed by Samsung indicated that electric vehicles will present a big opportunity for growth, which could entice it to enter the fray.

In a fast moving environment, consumer electronics companies are constantly looking where the next big shift in public behaviour is going to come from. Look at Google and Apple – iPhone, iOS, Android, smartwatches, smart glasses…

Is the next technology trend going to come from the automotive industry, arguably not for the first time since the birth of the internal combustion engine?

Google, obviously not known for its car making credentials, has created an autonomous car and major car brands are working to make this concept a reality. But is that a step too far to be the next trend? Yes, car brands are already using aspects of autonomous driving in their current ranges but nothing 100% driverless…yet.

But 100% electric vehicles are here and gaining traction. It is by no means a mainstream technology but it has the potential to become so much sooner than autonomous cars – Dieter Zetsche, the chief executive of Mercedes Benz says it’s ‘too early to have a position (on autonomous driving).”

But, you can no longer sit on the fence for 100% EVs. They are out there, and a lot of them. There are 100,000 Nissan LEAFs on the road and 97% of those customers are satisfied. It is a new technology in the very early stages of its life with limited awareness, but the potential is tangible.

So, has Samsung filed this patent because it sees EVs as the next trend, not just in the automotive industry (BMW, VW, Ford etc. all following Nissan’s lead) but in the technology sphere as a whole? Could EV change the automotive industry forever and give even more power to the major consumer electronics companies? Only time will tell.

Oliver Springgay