Toyota to give royalty-free access to hybrid-vehicle patents: Nikkei

(Reuters) – Toyota Motor Corp plans to offer royalty-free access to its hybrid-vehicle technology patents as early as this year, the Nikkei Asian Review reported on Wednesday.

Toyota, which holds roughly 20,000 active patents in the field, is expected to make accessible most of the latest ones covering motors, power converters and batteries, according to the report.

The change of heart was driven by a fear of hybrids losing relevance as the broader industry moves toward pure electric vehicles, Nikkei said.