A growing core patented technology portfolio is becoming the driving force behind Potevio Information Technology's diverse business expansion, said Tao Xiongqiang, president of the high-tech company in Beijing.

"Benefiting from our innovation and research revolving around IP work, we have filed nearly 1,600 patent applications, covering 3G/4G networks and information security technologies," Tao said.

More than 90 percent of the filings are targeted at invention patents, the most stringent of the three patent types in China. Some 500 applications were filed last year, a roughly 30 percent increase from a year earlier, according to the company.

To date, the company has been granted more than 600 patents, with more than 30 of them included in new industrial standards.

"We focus more on our IP quality and focus on its management and value," Tao said.

The subsidiary of China Potevio, a large State-owned corporate group, has long specialized in information technology research and development.

As an expert on telecommunication and big data analysis, Potevio Information Technology has made forays into diverse sectors including 5G-based autonomous driving, smart city projects, electric vehicles, big data applications, cyberspace security, energy conservation and business incubators.

Electric vehicle service providers vary in their business models, Tao said, adding that some feature their innovative batteries and some do better in connectivity technology.

"In comparison, ours have an edge on others in using telecommunication technologies to develop a more efficient information network, which helps our electric vehicles to plan reasonable travel routes and manage power consumption," said Fu Ailing, vice-president of Potevio Information Technology.

Data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers show that more than 500,000 new energy vehicles were made in China last year, accounting for more than a half of the global total.

The number of new energy vehicles on roads in the country has surpassed 1 million, taking up a majority share of the world market.

Potevio Information Technology has built 74 charging stations in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, serving approximately 3,900 electric vehicles in the city, one of the largest urban new energy vehicle infrastructure networks in service in the world.

The company's new energy vehicle network has expanded into more than 20 cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, for private and business travel and logistical use.

When it comes to developing smart cities, Potevio Information Technology has spotted more niches with its technological prowess.

The company helps governments to develop an online integrated administrative service network and has aided the police in expanding online security systems. Its products also include technological solutions designed for power grids, the internet of things, urban rail transportation, smart healthcare and services for the elderly, and petroleum and gas exploration, production and transmission.

Potevio Information Technology invested in a healthcare service company, but the investment was in the form of IP assets, rather than money. Its IP investment was counted as a 30 million yuan ($4.4 million) stake in the joint venture.

"Investing in the form of IP eased our tension in capital and enabled more funds to be diverted to research and development of new technologies," Tao said.

The IP assets have brought the company more returns. From 2014 to 2016, it gained a patent portfolio-collateralized credit line of nearly 300 million yuan from Bank of Beijing.