How will the technological shift from internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) to battery electric vehicles (BEVs) change the architecture of the automotive industry? To explore this question, we systematically compare the technological structure of ICEVs and BEVs using data from large incumbent automobile companies and start-ups. While our analysis based on technical descriptions and design structure matrices suggests that the power train of BEVs is structurally simpler compared to the power train of ICEVs, BEVs are slightly less modular than ICEVs. We discuss important strategic implications of this finding for incumbent firms and start-ups
Language
English
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
No
Publisher
Oxford Academic, Industrial and Corporate Change Association