Abstract
Since the late 2000s, the transition from a fossil fuel-based system to the fully renewable system has begun. This period, known as an “Era of Ferment”, is characterized by high technical and economic uncertainty and it’s leading the automotive industry towards a paradigm shift: developing new car technologies, creating charging infrastructure needs and shaking up the supply chain structure. In light of ecosystem theory and the importance of alliances in the quest to develop an electric vehicle market, this paper analyses the electromobility ecosystem, tracking its lifecycle and investigating vertical and horizontal alliances between the main actors over time, including original equipment manufacturers, traditional suppliers, battery suppliers, and charging infrastructure providers. We analyzed an original longitudinal dataset composed of 281 alliances in the electric passenger vehicles market, initiated between 2000 and 2015. Through the study of the network of alliances, we describe the Electric Vehicle ecosystem’s evolution, examining the entry time of incumbents, suppliers and complementors, the role of actors in the ecosystem and their previous industry sector, the key knowledge they possess and technological areas in which they operate, and the nations involved. Key network measures also provide insights into power and connectedness of different actors, highlighting a creative accumulation strategy of the incumbents.
Highlights
The automotive industry is one of the main manufacturing industries worldwide
In the late 2000s, the electrification trend started to disrupt the traditional structure, transforming the vertically integrated automotive value chains into a horizontally structured ecosystem, threatening the ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) standard, and opening an “Era of Ferment”, which begins with a discovery or a breakthrough, followed by experimentation around new technologies and business models, and often ends with a dominant design
While many studies focused on the potential of new entrants to disrupt the status quo, by introducing technological or business model innovation that cannot be replicated fast enough by incumbents, others refer to creative accumulation as “the innovating capacity of the incumbents that appear to master such turbulence” [1]
Summary
The automotive industry is one of the main manufacturing industries worldwide. In the late 2000s, the electrification trend started to disrupt the traditional structure, transforming the vertically integrated automotive value chains into a horizontally structured ecosystem, threatening the ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) standard, and opening an “Era of Ferment”, which begins with a discovery or a breakthrough, followed by experimentation around new technologies and business models, and often ends with a dominant design. While many studies focused on the potential of new entrants to disrupt the status quo, by introducing technological or business model innovation that cannot be replicated fast enough by incumbents, others refer to creative accumulation as “the innovating capacity of the incumbents that appear to master such turbulence” [1]
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