• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

College-educated women are snapping up the highest-earning men without college degrees, leaving the rest further behind

2

The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'

3

An 11-year-old is cleaning his neighbors' trash cans for $10 each—he now has 100K followers as teens face the worst summer job market since 1948

1

College-educated women are snapping up the highest-earning men without college degrees, leaving the rest further behind

2

The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'

3

An 11-year-old is cleaning his neighbors' trash cans for $10 each—he now has 100K followers as teens face the worst summer job market since 1948
Electric vehicles

Why This Electric Bus Startup Is Opening Up Its Patents for Free

By
Kirsten Korosec
Kirsten Korosec
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Kirsten Korosec
Kirsten Korosec
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 28, 2016, 11:52 AM ET
Courtesy of Protera/Photo by Ned Ahrens
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Proterra, a startup that makes all-electric buses, is releasing its patents on its fast-charging technology, a move aimed at accelerating the adoption of electric transportation.

The company said on Tuesday that it would grant anyone royalty-free access to its patents covering its single-blade overhead charging design as well other related components. Proterra said it’s working with its suppliers to open up the charging design to third parties.

“We really want to stay focused on perfecting electric vehicles for the transit bus industry,” CEO Ryan Popple told Fortune. “One of the ways we can help other entities not have to reinvent the wheel or reinvent the charger, is to open this up, provide information, and supplier access and let other companies go after applications that really aren’t core to us or our customers.”

For instance, a charging infrastructure company that focuses on passenger vehicles could take this technology and build out chargers for delivery trucks or buses.

Releasing the patents also helps remove the fear, uncertainty, and doubt that some of the fossil fuel competitors in this industry have tried to use to slow down electric vehicle adoption, Popple said, explaining that diesel bus manufacturers have told cities evaluating EV buses that they’ll be locked into using Proterra’s vehicles and chargers.

“This idea really started with one of our customers who had a concern that had been fed to them by a diesel bus manufacturer,” he said. “We had to ask ourselves, ‘Do we want 100% market share of a small market, or do we want to remove that uncertainty entirely and be willing to compete against other vehicle companies?'”

In the end, the company decided it was better to be 50% of the entire transit market than 80% of the niche of electric vehicles.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

The fast-charging tech is a nice fit for companies with heavy duty electric vehicles such as buses or even delivery trucks that get a lot of use, said Popple. “This is probably overkill for light-duty vehicles. You need this kind of power level if you’re moving a big vehicle and if your energy consumption per mile is higher.”

Popple’s reasoning is similar to Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s explanation for releasing his company’s patents two years ago. At the time, Musk said the decision was to encourage large automakers to bring more electric vehicles to market.

However, there are differences between what Proterra is offering compared with Tesla’s patent release, which came with an asterisks of sorts. “Tesla will not initiate patent lawsuits against anyone who, in good faith, wants to use our technology,” Musk wrote in a post at the time. That good faith clause has left open the possibility that Tesla (TSLA) could sue on the patents if they feel a company isn’t acting in good faith. So far, Tesla hasn’t take such action.

Proterra’s patent release comes without these defensive conditions.

Opening up these patents could benefit Proterra, Popple noted. “There’s no limit as to where this technology can go,” he said. “As fast-charging scales in the heavy duty sector, the nice thing is it will bring the cost down for everybody.”

Last June, Proterra raised $55 million, $25 million of which was debt financing with Hercules Technology Growth Capital, as well as $30 million in equity from new and existing investors. Proterra previously raised about $135 million.

As of June 2016, Proterra has sold more than 206 vehicles to 26 municipal and university transit agencies throughout North America.

About the Author
By Kirsten Korosec
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in

A small Brown-eared Bulbul bird perches on a branch in a tree.
HealthHealth
Sit back and watch the birds—your health will thank you, data shows
By The Conversation and Jennifer G. AndrewsJuly 27, 2026
24 minutes ago
U.S. to reopen border to Mexican cattle imports after screwworm ban
North AmericaMexico
U.S. to reopen border to Mexican cattle imports after screwworm ban
By The Associated PressJuly 27, 2026
29 minutes ago
U.N. chief urges global support for Syria during first Damascus visit since Assad’s fall
North AmericaSyria
U.N. chief urges global support for Syria during first Damascus visit since Assad’s fall
By GHAITH ALSAYED and The Associated PressJuly 27, 2026
30 minutes ago
Canadian intern at NATO’s military headquarters arrested on espionage charges
North AmericaNATO
Canadian intern at NATO’s military headquarters arrested on espionage charges
By Sam McNeil and The Associated PressJuly 27, 2026
32 minutes ago
Photo of man walking past anti-U.S. graffit "Down with USA" in Tehran
AsiaIran
U.S. and Iran edge toward talks as Hormuz shipping hits three-week low, regional officials say
By The Associated Press, Samy Magdy and Elena BecatorosJuly 27, 2026
33 minutes ago
Photo of a New Yorker mother
EconomyIran
Fuel prices stemming from a war in Iran is reshaping daily life for people in the U.S. and Chile to Turkey and Nepal
By The Associated Press and Aniruddha GhosalJuly 27, 2026
1 hour ago

Most Popular

College-educated women are snapping up the highest-earning men without college degrees, leaving the rest further behind
Economy
College-educated women are snapping up the highest-earning men without college degrees, leaving the rest further behind
By Mia OsmonbekovJuly 26, 2026
1 day ago
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
Real Estate
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 25, 2026
2 days ago
An 11-year-old is cleaning his neighbors' trash cans for $10 each—he now has 100K followers as teens face the worst summer job market since 1948
Success
An 11-year-old is cleaning his neighbors' trash cans for $10 each—he now has 100K followers as teens face the worst summer job market since 1948
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJuly 25, 2026
2 days ago
I've been teaching college students for decades. Most of them can no longer finish a book
Commentary
I've been teaching college students for decades. Most of them can no longer finish a book
By Austin SaratJuly 26, 2026
1 day ago
New York City women are making up to $30,000 per month by renting out their closets to strangers
Retail
New York City women are making up to $30,000 per month by renting out their closets to strangers
By Sarah GlodekJuly 27, 2026
8 hours ago
A Hims cofounder fired his marketing agency for an AI-powered team. Now his 24/7 online vet service is growing 20% a month
Success
A Hims cofounder fired his marketing agency for an AI-powered team. Now his 24/7 online vet service is growing 20% a month
By Sydney LakeJuly 25, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.