USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView US Corporation

Tesla, Inc.

USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 518 granted patents across 150 technology areas, active 2017–2025. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: Y02E (REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION).

Compiled byPlainPatent Editorial, US Patent Intelligence Editorial Team · May 15, 2026

Explore the portfolio See the ranking

518

Total patents granted

150

CPC technology areas

15.4

Avg claims per patent

+103%

5-year filing velocity

The verdict

Tesla holds 518 US patents across 150 technology areas, rank #873 of 50,000 tracked assignees.

#873
of 50,000 US assignees by volume: Top 3%
by Innovation Score (61.0/100): 15.4
avg claims per patent: +103%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs

Portfolio overview

Tesla, Inc. has been granted 518 US utility patents between 2017 and 2025, placing Tesla, Inc. at rank #873 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 150 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 15.4 claims per patent with primary concentration in Y02E (REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION). As a US Corporation, Tesla, Inc. is one of the broader-portfolio assignees in the PatentsView dataset. By volume, Tesla sits between University Of Virginia Patent Foundation (520 patents, rank #869) and Xi'an Zhongxing NEW Software Co., Ltd. (517 patents, rank #877) - the closest US assignees by grant volume. The composite Innovation Score of 61.0/100 blends portfolio volume, filing velocity, technology breadth, and claim depth into a single comparable measure drawn directly from USPTO PatentsView records.

Filing cadence tells the strategic story. Between 2020 and 2025 the company received 347 grants, compared with 171 in the 2015–2019 window, a +103% shift in five-year velocity. An acceleration of this magnitude signals aggressive R&D investment and expanding technical ambition. The US Corporation classification further shapes interpretation, since corporate, government, and individual filers pursue patents for materially different reasons.

Claim depth and technology breadth together indicate competitive posture. Tesla, Inc.'s 15.4 average claims per patent sits within the typical range for solid legal coverage without excessive prosecution cost, while a diversified footprint across 100+ CPC subclasses spreads risk across many technology fronts. Combined with portfolio volume, these signals let analysts, investors, and licensing professionals benchmark Tesla, Inc. against peers pursuing similar technology classes.

University of Vir…

520
Micromass UK

519
OPEN TEXT ULC

518
Pepsico

518
Tesla ◀

518
Daicel

517
Graco Minnesota

517
The Florida Inter…

517
Xi'an Zhongxing N…

517

What this shows Tesla holds 518 patents at rank #873, shown against the 8 assignees closest to it in grant volume rather than the industry's largest filers.

Companies ranked near Tesla

By rank, the assignees closest to #873 in granted patent volume.

Leaders in Y02E (Reduction OF Greenhouse GAS [GHG] Emissions)

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

Tesla's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee

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

61 Top 3% higher than 97% of 50,000 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 · 2017–2025

Grants by year

Teal-shaded recent years (2020–present) versus the 2017–2019 baseline. Full figures in the table below.

View data table

Tesla, Inc. patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year	Patents Granted	Share of Period
2017	34	6.6%
2018	53	10.2%
2019	84	16.2%
2020	70	13.5%
2021	63	12.2%
2022	57	11.0%
2023	59	11.4%
2024	52	10.0%
2025	46	8.9%

Which technologies does Tesla, Inc. patent most?

Y02E - REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION 148

G06F - ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING 75

H01M - PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY 73

H10F - INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION 57

G06N - COMPUTING ARRANGEMENTS BASED ON SPECIFIC COMPUTATIONAL MODELS 48

H02S - GENERATION OF ELECTRIC POWER BY CONVERSION OF INFRARED RADIATION, VISIBLE LIGHT OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, e.g. USING PHOTOVOLTAIC [PV] MODULES 46

Y02B - CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS 43

H02J - CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY 40

Y02P - CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS 39

B60R - VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR 39

Y02T - CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION 36

H02K - DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES 28

G06V - IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING 27

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 26

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 25

Top 15 of 150 technology areas

Patent Moat Analysis

Portfolio Volume Moderate

Tech Breadth Diversified

Claim Depth Standard

Velocity Accelerating

Where it ranks

Overall rank by patents

#873

Across all tracked assignees

Innovation Score

61.0 out of 100

View all rankings →

Data Source

USPTO PatentsView, US granted patents 2015–2025

How is Innovation Score calculated?

Frequently Asked Questions

How many patents does Tesla, Inc. hold?

Tesla, Inc. holds 518 US granted patents filed between 2017 and 2025, spanning 150 technology areas.

What is Tesla, Inc.'s Innovation Score?

Tesla, Inc. has an Innovation Score of 61.0 out of 100. This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), filing velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).

What technology areas does Tesla, Inc. focus on?

Tesla, Inc.'s top technology area is Y02E (REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION) with 148 patents. The company has filed patents in 150 CPC subclasses total.

Is Tesla, Inc.'s patent filing rate increasing or decreasing?

Tesla, Inc.'s recent filing velocity is +103% compared to the prior five-year period. This indicates accelerating innovation.

What does claim depth mean for Tesla, Inc.'s patents?

Tesla, Inc.'s patents average 15.4 claims each. This falls within the standard range, providing solid legal coverage.

How is the Tesla, Inc. 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.

How to use this portfolio

Tesla's 518 grants land it in the top 3% by Innovation Score, but volume alone doesn't tell you where the strength sits.

Read that count against the largest US assignees before treating it as dominance - Tesla ranks #873 of 50,000. Top 50 holders
Most of this portfolio concentrates in Y02E - see who else leads that technology area. Y02E leaders
Check what the four-part Innovation Score actually rewards before comparing it to another company. How the score works

Patent counts and the Innovation Score measure patenting activity, not commercial success or the legal strength of any patent. Many patents are filed defensively. Verify the status of an individual patent against official USPTO records.

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

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 byPlainPatent Editorial, US Patent Intelligence Editorial Team · 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.