While early forecasts predicted widespread Level 3+ AV deployment by the mid-2020s, the market is now expected to center around L2+ vehicles by 2035, according to the 2026 Autonomous Vehicle (AV) Industry Report from JS Held.
Yet, the global AV market is still projected to grow from $24 billion in 2021 to $62 billion in 2026, with passenger vehicles alone forecasted to generate $300–400 billion in revenue by 2035.
Source: JS Held
"Despite extended deployment timelines, the economic opportunity in autonomous vehicles remains transformative," said Dan Principe, Director and Chair of the Industry Analyst Review Committee at Ocean Tomo, a part of JS Held. "What we're seeing now is a shift from pure R&D to commercialization, where IP strategy is no longer optional—it's existential."
Tatiana Feka, Industry Analyst at Ocean Tomo, emphasized the strategic importance of IP in this maturing sector: "The industry is moving past its initial life cycle stage. Between 2022–2024, we saw the first decrease in total innovation filings, signifying market maturation and a shift from pure R&D to commercialization strategies. This makes IP positioning even more critical."
The report also highlights the growing complexity of the legal landscape, with cross-industry IP conflicts expected to rise as AV systems increasingly integrate telecom, cloud, AI, and mobility technologies. Companies are adopting more proactive legal strategies, including pre-emptive patent filings and trade secret protections, to safeguard their innovations.
"As both established players and new entrants deepen their AV technology investments, trade secret enforcement has become an essential component of IP strategy," adds Senior Managing Director John A. Hudson.
Key findings from the report include:
■ The US leads global AV patent filings with 135,828, followed closely by China with 132,844.
■ The robotaxi rideshare market is projected to grow at a 90% CAGR from 2025 to 2030.
■ Waymo now delivers over 450,000 driverless rides per week, with continued expansion into new US cities.
■ NVIDIA's DRIVETHOR chip delivers 20x the processing power of its predecessor, accelerating real-time AV data processing.
