Title: Evolution of the complex nature of electrical vehicles

Authors: Artemio Chávez; Arturo Lara

Addresses: Programa de Estudios sobre Complejidad, Cognición e Instituciones (PECCI), Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Unidad Xochimilco, Calzada del Hueso 1100, Col. Villa Quietud, Delegación Coyoacán, C.P. 04960, Ciudad de México, Mexico ' Programa de Estudios sobre Complejidad, Cognición e Instituciones (PECCI), Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Unidad Xochimilco, Calzada del Hueso 1100, Col. Villa Quietud, Delegación Coyoacán, C.P. 04960, Ciudad de México, Mexico

Abstract: As part of the new institutional economics (Ostrom, 1990, 2005) and complex systems (Holland, 2006), we use network theory (Watts, 1999; Clauset et al., 2004) to describe the evolution of electric vehicle technology, which has grown from a relatively disconnected network to a hierarchically connected network in which the technological system is organised into subsystems by a simultaneous process of integration and modularisation (Baldwin and Clark, 1999). Methodologically, we show that analysis of technology classes by network theory is a suitable tool for analysing the evolution of the complex nature of electric vehicles.

Keywords: electric vehicles; vehicle technology; intellectual property rights; IPR; patents; integral design; modular design; vehicle design; institutional economics; complex systems; network theory; complexity evolution.

DOI: 10.1504/IJATM.2016.081620

International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management, 2016 Vol.16 No.4, pp.389 - 411

Received: 28 Sep 2015
Accepted: 19 Apr 2016
Published online: 18 Jan 2017 *

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