Recently, Professor Zhao Wei, the Research Fellow from IPP has published two papers in renowned international academic journals, World Electric Vehicle Journal and International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management, thoroughly discussing the key factors driving the continuous improvement of China's electric vehicle industry competitiveness.
DOI：https://doi.org/10.3390/wevj16060319
The article titled "Manufacturing Competency from Local Clusters: Roots of the Competitive Advantage of the Chinese Electric Vehicle Battery Industry", co-authored by Professor Zhao Wei and Professor Boy Lüthje from the Institute for Social Research in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, was published in the World Electric Vehicle Journal.Based on first-hand empirical material and data obtained from years of fieldwork carried out at an EV battery cluster in south China, this paper identifies the Chinese EV battery industry’s core competency lies in firms’ core competency and political economic geography，In contrast with the normal point of view, which emphasizes the role of industrial policy. The current core competency of Chinese battery firms is their mass manufacturing capability, which allows them to supply vehicle manufacturers (OEMs) with lithium-ion batteries of stable and consistent quality at competitive prices. Furthermore, the rapid learning and accumulation of knowledge of battery manufacturing on a large scale is also facilitated by the local industrial cluster environment where firms are embedded. The findings have significant implications for battery and car makers in global competition as well as for national and local governments which aim to promote EV battery development.
DOI：https://doi.org/10.1504/IJATM.2025.147857
The article titled "Disintegration, Core Competency, and Industry Structure: Chinese Automotive OEMs in Electrification and Digitalization" published in the International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management was co-authored by Professor Zhao Wei and Professor Boy Lüthje from the Institute for Social Research in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.The article proposes a framework that the emerging EV industry as a complete and independent unit newly created, not a branch derived from the existing internal combustion engine (ICE) automotive industry. It is vertically disintegrated into three blocks: a battery industry, an intelligent and connected vehicle (ICV) sub-sector, and a segment composed of all EV original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The article discovers that vertical disintegration and (re)integration are advancing rapidly and vertically specialised mass production has been consolidated in some key block. With the powerful rise of ICV industry ecosystem, loosely structured strategic alliances between major players of different industry seem to be the dominant form of vertically specialised production networks for the future. The findings provide important reference for policymakers, corporate strategic planning, and investors, helping them better understand the future development direction of China's electric vehicle industry.
Professor Zhao Wei is currently a research fellow at IPP, SCUT. He taught at ESC Rennes School of Business and ESC Saint-Etienne Business School in France for 16 years (2007-2022). He also serves as a distinguished research fellow at the ESSCA Eurasia Institute in France, a distinguished research fellow at the Economic Research Center of Paris 13 University, and the China Director of THE BRIDGE TANK in France. He has taught over 30 courses in France, including Technology Innovation Management, Technology Entrepreneurship, International Trade, and Corporate Global Strategy at various universities and chambers of commerce. He is fluent in English and French. His research interests cover the global value chain of intelligent new energy vehicles and battery supply chains, China-Europe economic and technological relations, manufacturing industry transformation and upgrading, and regional science and technology innovation policy management.
