Do oil companies buy patents for other ways to fuel your cars and bury it?

Question

I heard that and I have no idea how to research it. If yes, do you have a source?

Answer 1

There are no secrets in fuels, but there are secrets in batteries for electric cars -- and companies have been messing with those for many years.

Thomas Edison developed the superb Nickel-Iron battery for electric cars.  In 1972, Edison's company was purchased by Exide, and they stopped making Nickel-Iron batteries shortly after.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel-iron...

Exide makes lead-acid batteries, which are generally a poor technology for batteries, but they are exceptionally good at one thing -- starting engines.  That's what 99% of large batteries are used for, and with Edison cells off the market, people had no other choice.

Chevron bought the NiMH battery patents, and seem to license or produce batteries only for a limited number and type of customers -- you'd almost think they want to discourage this battery's use in EVs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NiMH_batter...

Most likely they will end up having killed that technology of battery, because by the time the patent runs out, other better technologies will have emerged.

Answer 2

years ago, in my small hometown in iowa, they did install a water kit on a few cars. someone came around sort of pedeling the idea, anyways they had a few bugs that couldnt be worked out. the ones around the country now, that do work right, do so by accident. someone messed up, and got it right by mistake. i know one of the problems, is here in iowa, how do you keep water from freezing, when its left outside under the hood of your car?

Answer 3

Oh absolutely, it's happened many times already. most companies can buy out something that would threaten their profit. and as messed up as it is, it's pretty well accepted by most *shrugs*

Oil companies make tens of billions PER QUARTER. there's no way they'll allow something to emerge to threaten that kind of profit

Answer 4

Oil companies typically buy patents for things that affect their business.  All companies do.

As far as buying a patent for technology to bury it, it has not happened.  Oil companies are not wedded to oil, despite the propaganda that you may have heard.  They are, in fact, diversified companies that may have started in oil, but now have a hand in many businesses around the globe.

If there was a product that they had a patent on, that people would buy, they would not bury it.  If there was a better fuel, with all the grant money floating around someone else would have also found it.  The would not need to own the patent to sell it, but would only have to pay royalty fees to the patent owner.  The owner of the patent cannot keep someone else from developing a new product, they can only demand "a piece of the pie."

So the answer is no, they do not.