The Evolution of China’s New Energy Vehicle Industry from the Perspective of a Technology–Market–Policy Framework

Since air pollution and energy safety have become two worldwide concerns, New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) are one of the solutions to solve these problems. China has been taking action toward the NEV industry and has been successful. This paper aims to explore the evolution of the Chinese NEV industry. By using a three-dimensional model of technology, market and policy, we collected the national level policies from three NEV developmental stages based on the market sales. We found three reasons for its rising up in China: first, the NEV technical road has been directed by both the government and the market; second, the market has periodicity, so the prospective policies have been set ahead; and third, the government has transformed its role on time. Based on the resource endowment the industry has now, we can draw some inferences on its further development in the longitudinal direction.