Spotlight on Automotive

The automotive industry is changing quickly and whilst the traditional business model of producing and selling cars remains, it will soon be a whole new world. The combination of environmental concerns and changing consumer behaviours, unforeseen disruptions such as the pandemic and lockdowns, semiconductor shortages and a European war, as well as the increasing pace of technological advancement, mean the auto industry has never had to cope with so much or innovate so quickly. These challenges have dramatically accelerated change in the automotive industry and businesses are moving at pace to embrace new technologies and ways of working faster than ever seen before to remain competitive.

The development of electric vehicles is creating new areas for competition between OEMs, but also now between Tier 1 suppliers more than ever before. Battery technology is at the forefront of this, and is driving interesting new collaborations between automotive OEMs and battery suppliers. Rapid advances are also being made in fast-charging technology, and the development of new supporting infrastructure.

The prospect of fully autonomous vehicles in the future, and the reality of sophisticated Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) being used now, is putting an increased importance on data transmission and data security. And the steady shift towards electric and autonomous vehicles opens up a whole host of exciting opportunities in terms of the fundamental design of vehicles, facilitating the introduction of new materials and rewriting the rule book in terms of vehicle layout. With new materials, comes the possibility of increasing the green credentials of vehicles still further through weight reduction, and new challenges in terms of recycling at the end of a vehicle’s life.

These are challenging and exciting times for the automotive industry, and innovation is underpinning its development.

For more information see our Future Mobility spotlight page.

To find out how we can help you see our Automotive service page.

We are delighted to be the IP firm of choice for McMurtry Automotive

Currently McMurtry has 15 patent applications, with five approved. They are very ambitious with their patenting strategy and have tried to patent the core tenets of their business. They are quite different from other car manufacturers in that it's their downforce on demand system that is subject to quite a number of patents.

Mewburn Ellis work hand in hand with the McMurtry team on IP strategy and have enjoyed every moment of it. “As a car nut and motorsports fan myself, I have found it particularly enjoyable to work with Elizabeth and her colleagues at McMurtry Automotive since the very beginning of their ambitious Spéirling project.” Says client partner Simon Parry. “It’s been a privilege for me and colleague Dan Brodsky to be so closely involved with their revolution of the downforce concept originally pioneered by the great Gordon Murray.”

On Sunday 26 June, their Spéirling hypercar, driven by Formula 1 driver Max Chilton, completed the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed Hillclimb in 39.08 seconds, decisively beating the previous record of 39.9 seconds set in 2019. We are proud to have worked in partnership with McMurtry Automotive Limited since their inception, and to have supported their entry at the 2022 event.

From how cities are adapting to the electric vehicle revolution and the role of autonomous vehicles, to data security issues in the world of connected cars.

We also discuss some of the manufacturing challenges working towards a greener automotive future brings, such as how composites can accelerate this change, sustainable rubber for green tyres, and the challenges of electric charging and how these interesting areas are growing and innovating.

We’re also excited to talk about our relationship with McMurtry Automotive, the makers of the amazing Spéirling - one of the fastest electric cars in the world!

In autumn 2020, we analysed more than 8000 opposition cases filed at the European Patent Office (EPO) over the last 12 years, studying the timelines for hundreds of engineering, electronics and software oppositions.

The research enabled us to see how oppositions have been affected by procedural changes at the European Patent Office and by the Covid-19 pandemic. With a focus on Transport, Medical Devices, Telecommunications and Software, the report also looks at how opposition outcomes vary across the four different technology sectors and which players are the most active.

Tier 1 suppliers are driving opposition activity in automotive. In our report on oppositions activity in the transport space, our data show a difference between the automotive sector and other transport sectors in terms of the nature of the companies most active in EPO Oppositions. In particular, we see notably higher opposition activities of Tier 1 suppliers than OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) in the automotive sector, both in terms of companies opposed and the most active opponents. However, these tables suggest this trend is not reflected in the aeronautical, rail, and escalator & elevator sectors, where we see the most active parties being dominant OEMs.

Our data show a difference between the automotive sector and other transport sectors in terms of the nature of the companies most active in EPO Oppositions. In particular, we see notably higher opposition activities of Tier 1 suppliers than OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) in the automotive sector, both in terms of companies opposed and the most active opponents. However, these tables suggest this trend is not reflected in the aeronautical, rail, and escalator & elevator sectors, where we see the most active parties being dominant OEMs.

In contrast, the relatively high degree of vertical integration in the aeronautical, rail and escalator & elevator sectors reduces supplier opposition activity in these sectors, leaving it mainly in the hands of the OEMs.

We expect to see this supplier prevalence of opposition activity in the automotive sector continue over the coming years, as Tier 1 suppliers compete to meet the demands of the automotive OEMs by developing ever more sophisticated onboard systems to provide increased levels of autonomy.

One glance and everyone wants to ask the same question. How fast does it go? The McMurtry Spéirling looks like the Batmobile, rippling in carbon fibre. So does it live up to the hype?

“We’ve been testing at the Silverstone grand prix circuit with Max Chilton, who raced in Formula One,” reveals Elizabeth Maclennan, project manager at McMurtry Automotive. “On days that aren’t even our strongest we are already overtaking established combustion races cars.”

However you spin it, that’s eye-watering. The Spéirling is so fast that even Max Chilton is having to re-calculate some of his driving style. And it’s being upgraded. “We’ve got two tonnes of downforce, which is an absolutely monstrous amount,” says Maclennan. “We are still not in the marginal gains phase. We’ve put three or four years into it and we’re still making huge improvements to efficiency and performance using new materials.”

We have sponsored Team Bath Racing Electric (TBRe) for many years, and thoroughly enjoy being involved with such an inspiring group of young people.

Each year, over 100 university engineering teams from around the globe travel to Silverstone, England to compete in Formula Student United Kingdom (FSUK), an educational engineering competition aimed at encouraging more young people to take up a career in engineering.

Teams manage themselves, write business plans, secure funding, research and produce designs and build their own cars. This all helps prepare those that take part for the transition from academia to the workplace.