Where does Nikola Corporation rank among US patent assignees?

According to USPTO PatentsView (2015–2025 granted utility patents), Nikola Corporation ranks #4,479 of 49,997 assignees by granted-patent volume, the same sort as the companies listing and top-holders ranking. See /methodology/#corpus-placement.

How many patents does Nikola Corporation hold?

Nikola Corporation holds 79 US utility patents granted between 2018 and 2025, spanning 28 technology areas.

What is Nikola Corporation's Innovation Score?

Nikola Corporation has an Innovation Score of 53.0 out of 100 (top 9% of the corpus). This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), grant velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).

Is Nikola Corporation's patent grant rate increasing or decreasing?

Nikola Corporation's recent grant velocity is +367% compared to the prior five-year period (grant years, not application filing dates). This indicates accelerating grant output.

What does claim depth mean for Nikola Corporation's patents?

Nikola Corporation's patents average 10.8 claims each. This is an aggregate descriptive count from the grant record; it does not establish claim scope, legal strength, enforceability, or design-around risk.

How is the Nikola Corporation patent data sourced?

All patent data comes from USPTO PatentsView, a public research dataset maintained by the United States Patent and Trademark Office covering US granted utility patents from 2015 to 2025.

USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView US Corporation

Nikola Corporation

Q: What technology areas does Nikola Corporation focus on?

Nikola Corporation's top technology area is B60L (Propulsion OF Electrically-propelled Vehicles ; Supplying Electric Power FOR Auxiliary Equipment OF Electrically-propelled Vehicles ; Electrodynamic Brake Systems FOR Vehicles IN General ; Magnetic Suspension OR Levitation FOR VEHICLES; Monitoring Operating Variables OF Electrically-propelled Vehicl) with 32 patents, ranking #95 of 1,396 assignees active in that subclass. Grants appear in 28 CPC subclasses total.

USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 79 granted patents across 28 technology areas, recorded in grant years 2018–2025. Grant-trend analysis is cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search; it does not measure application filings, current R&D, or legal strength. Primary class: B60L (Propulsion OF Electrically-propelled Vehicles ; Supplying Electric Power FOR Auxiliary Equipment OF Electrically-propelled Vehicles ; Electrodynamic Brake Systems FOR Vehicles IN General ; Magnetic SU).

Compiled by PlainPatent · May 15, 2026

RSS updates for this company

Explore the portfolio See the ranking

The verdict

According to USPTO PatentsView, Nikola ranks #4,479 of 49,997 tracked US assignees by granted-patent volume, with 79 patents across 28 technology areas.

#4,479
of 49,997 US assignees by volume: Top 9%
by Innovation Score (53.0/100): 10.8
avg claims per patent: +367%
grant velocity, last 5 yrs

USPTO PatentsView assignee plate

Corpus R4479 · US Corporation #4,479 · 79 grants

GRANTS-SMALL · TOP-DECILE · PHOTO-FINISH · CPC-FOCUS · INNOV-PAR · CLAIMS-PAR · TYPE-USCORP · VEL-SURGE · BOOK-FULL

GRANTS-SMALL 79 grants
TOP-DECILE #4,479/49,997
PHOTO-FINISH Institut Polytechniq…
CPC-FOCUS B60L · 28 areas
INNOV-PAR 53.0/100
CLAIMS-PAR 10.8 claims/avg
TYPE-USCORP US Corporation
VEL-SURGE +367% vel
BOOK-FULL 10/10 fields

Nearest grant-volume peer: Institut Polytechnique DE Grenoble (±0 grants)

Instrument codes from this assignee’s USPTO PatentsView grant sheet: volume band, corpus rank, photo-finish peer, lead CPC, Innovation Score, claim depth, assignee type, velocity, and book completeness. Not a USPTO rating of patent strength.

How Nikola’s 53.0 Innovation Score adds up

The same four weighted components behind every Innovation Score on PlainPatent: portfolio volume, grant velocity, technology breadth, and claim depth.

Volume 15.1 pts (28%) Velocity 12.7 pts (24%) Breadth 18.7 pts (35%) Claim depth 6.5 pts (12%)

Qualcomm Incorporated · highest

85
Cerebri AI · near

53
DJO · near

53
Nikola · this assignee

53
Ulvac · near

53
Meiji · near

53
3D Lighting… · lowest

7

What this shows Nikola's Innovation Score is 53.0/100 (top 9% of the PatentsView-derived corpus). The chart places that score against the nearest Innovation Score peers plus corpus poles, not a reprint of the volume ranking.

Does more volume mean deeper claims for Nikola?

Each dot is one of Nikola’s 8 nearest volume peers (same corpus rank neighbourhood as the chart above), placed by total granted patents (horizontal) against average claims per patent (vertical). Nikola’s own 10.8 claims/patent is at or below the 14.4 median for these volume peers. Volume here does not track with deeper claims; several lower-volume peers claim more thoroughly per patent.

Nikola vs its 8 nearest volume peers: granted patents vs average claims per patent. Source: USPTO PatentsView.

Where Nikola's grants concentrate

Nikola Corporation is a focused PatentsView assignee: 28 CPC subclasses with 40.5% of grants classified under B60L (Propulsion OF Electrically-propelled Vehicles ; Supplying Electric Power FOR Auxiliary Equipment OF Electrically-propelled Vehicles ; Electrodynamic Brake Systems FOR Vehicles IN General ; Magnetic SU). Peak complete grant year is 2024 (17 grants) versus a trough of 5 in 2019. By volume, Nikola sits between Institut Polytechnique DE Grenoble and Nantero, Inc..

Nikola's three-year grant acceleration

From 2019–2021 to 2022–2024, Nikola Corporation moved from 21 to 40 grants (1.91x the prior three-year total, a multiple, not a CAGR). See the growth leaderboard.

Institut Polytech…

79
Ixys

79
LES Laboratoires…

79
NHN Entertainment

79
Ninebot (Beijing)…

79
Nippon Mektron

79
Nissha

79
Nantero

79
Nikola ◀

79

What this shows Nikola holds 79 patents at rank #4,478, shown against the 8 assignees closest to it in grant volume rather than the industry's largest filers.

Companies ranked near Nikola

By rank, the assignees closest to #4,478 in granted patent volume.

Leaders in B60L (Propulsion OF Electrically-propelled Vehicles)

Other assignees with the most granted patents in Nikola's primary technology class.

Assignees with similar portfolio profiles

Two PlainPatent-derived peer sets for Nikola, neither rank-band nor same-CPC leaders (those blocks stay above). In B60L (Propulsion OF Electrically-propelled Vehicles), Nikola ranks #95 of 1,396 assignees by patent count in that subclass.

Similar innovation score

Nearest assignees by Innovation Score (53 here).

DJO, LLC 53 Ulvac, Inc. 53 Cerebri AI Inc. 53 Meiji Co., Ltd. 53

Similar claim depth

Nearest assignees by average claims per patent (10.8 here).

National University Corporation Kobe University 10.8 avg Toshiba Digital Solutions Corporation 10.8 avg Takasago International Corporation 10.8 avg Samsung Life Public Welfare Foundation 10.8 avg

Nikola's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee

Composite of portfolio volume, grant velocity, technology breadth, and claim depth (0–100)

53 Top 9% higher than 91% of 49,997 US assignees

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US assignees. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source USPTO PatentsView, PlainPatent Innovation Score · 2015–2025

USPTO utility patent grants by year · 2018–2025

Grants by year

Teal-shaded recent years (2020–present) versus the 2018–2019 baseline. Full figures in the table below.

View data table

Nikola Corporation patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year	Patents Granted	Share of Period
2018	7	8.9%
2019	5	6.3%
2020	9	11.4%
2021	7	8.9%
2022	13	16.5%
2023	10	12.7%
2024	17	21.5%
2025partial year	11	13.9%

Which technologies does Nikola Corporation patent most?

B60L - Propulsion OF Electrically-propelled Vehicles ; Supplying Electric Power FOR Auxiliary Equipment OF Electrically-propelled Vehicles ; Electrodynamic Brake Systems FOR Vehicles IN General ; Magnetic Suspension OR Levitation FOR VEHICLES; Monitoring Operating Variables OF Electrically-propelled Vehicl 32

Y02E - Reduction OF Greenhouse GAS [GHG] Emissions, Related TO Energy Generation, Transmission OR Distribution 27

Y02T - Climate Change Mitigation Technologies Related TO Transportation 25

B60K - Arrangement OR Mounting OF Propulsion Units OR OF Transmissions IN VEHICLES; Arrangement OR Mounting OF Plural Diverse Prime-movers IN VEHICLES; Auxiliary Drives FOR VEHICLES; Instrumentation OR Dashboards FOR VEHICLES; Arrangements IN Connection With Cooling, AIR Intake, GAS Exhaust OR Fuel Supply 19

H01M - Processes OR Means, e.g. Batteries, FOR THE Direct Conversion OF Chemical Energy Into Electrical Energy 18

B62D - Motor VEHICLES; Trailers 16

B60Y - Indexing Scheme Relating TO Aspects Cross-cutting Vehicle Technology 12

B60J - Windows, Windscreens, Non-fixed Roofs, Doors, OR Similar Devices FOR VEHICLES; Removable External Protective Coverings Specially Adapted FOR Vehicles 8

E05Y - Indexing Scheme Associated With Subclasses E05d AND E05f, Relating TO Construction Elements, Electric Control, Power Supply, Power Signal OR Transmission, User Interfaces, Mounting OR Coupling, Details, Accessories, Auxiliary Operations NOT Otherwise Provided FOR, Application Thereof 7

E05D - Hinges OR Suspension Devices FOR Doors, Windows OR Wings 7

B60H - Arrangements OF Heating, Cooling, Ventilating OR Other Air-treating Devices Specially Adapted FOR Passenger OR Goods Spaces OF Vehicles 7

B60R - Vehicles, Vehicle Fittings, OR Vehicle Parts, NOT Otherwise Provided FOR 6

B60N - Seats Specially Adapted FOR VEHICLES; Vehicle Passenger Accommodation NOT Otherwise Provided FOR 6

Y10S - Technical Subjects Covered BY Former Uspc Cross-reference ART Collections [XRACs] AND Digests 5

E05F - Devices FOR Moving Wings Into Open OR Closed POSITION; Checks FOR WINGS; Wing Fittings NOT Otherwise Provided FOR, Concerned With THE Functioning OF THE Wing 5

Top 15 of 28 technology areas

More on this record

Data Source

USPTO PatentsView, US granted patents 2015–2025

View all rankings → How is Innovation Score calculated?

What to do with this data

Nikola Corporation's patent record in context - here's where to go next.

Nikola Corporation's lead technology class is B60L (Propulsion OF Electrically-propelled Vehicles ; Supplying Electric Power FOR Auxiliary Equipment OF Electrically-propelled Vehicles ; Electrodynamic Brake Systems FOR Vehicles IN General ; Magnetic SU), 40.5% of its portfolio - see every assignee active in that class. Explore B60L
Ranked #4,479 of 49,997 tracked assignees by patent volume - see the full leaderboard. See the ranking
Compare Nikola Corporation against Institut Polytechnique DE Grenoble, an assignee filing at a similar volume. Compare portfolios
Innovation Score of 53.0/100 blends volume, velocity, technology breadth, and claim depth. How it's calculated

Figures reflect USPTO PatentsView grant data through May 2026; pending applications not yet granted are not counted.

Data sourced from USPTO PatentsView - official U.S. government patent data. See our methodology for computation details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainPatent

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the USPTO PatentsView database. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sources used on this page

USPTO PatentsView - the disambiguated bulk patent-grant, assignee, and CPC data this page's figures are derived from. patentsview.org
Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) - the joint USPTO/EPO classification scheme used to group patents by technology area. cooperativepatentclassification.org
USPTO Patent Public Search - the official interface to verify the status of any individual patent. ppubs.uspto.gov

Compiled by PlainPatent , US Patent Intelligence Editorial Process · May 15, 2026

Every figure on PlainPatent is rendered directly from USPTO source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on USPTO source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 2026.