Mapping the knowledge domains of new energy vehicle safety: Informetrics analysis-based studies

Abstract To better understand the current status and development of new energy vehicle (NEV) safety studies and explore the knowledge base and research hotspots, 1,007 papers related to NEV safety studies from 2000–2020 were collected from the Web of Science Core Collection database as data samples. The bibliometric method and mapping knowledge domain technology were used to visually analyze the knowledge structure and research trends in the field of NEV safety studies. The study found that publications in the United States rank first among countries/regions. Tsinghua University has the most publications in related research; the disciplines of NEV safety research mainly focus on energy and fuel, chemistry and electrochemistry; and the Journal of Power Sources, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy and International Journal of Crashworthiness are the core journals in the field. New energy exploration and application as well as performance improvement/lifetime optimization/use safety of lithium-ion batteries are the research knowledge bases in the field. Lithium-ion batteries, fuel cell and hydrogen energy safety, autonomous driving technology, computer simulation, and vehicle crashworthiness are the five main research directions. Research on the safety of NEVs has basically formed a theoretical research framework, but the system construction of various research directions has not yet been fully formed. The research topics are concentrated, but a clear evolutionary path has not been formed. The current research hotspots and frontiers are how to improve the performance of lithium-ion batteries, the safety of fuel cells, the autonomous driving technology and the crashworthiness of NEVs.