An empirical research of the mechanism from electric vehicle production to charging station R&D in China

Abstract

Electric vehicles (EVs) are regarded as an effective method for dealing with serious environmental pollution. The Chinese government has implemented a series of incentives to accelerate the promotion of EV. However, the increasing production of EVs gives rise to a greater demand for better quality charging station. This study aimed to certify the impact of the production of EVs on charging station research and development (R&D) in China, with mediating effect methods and a panel fixed effect model. The conclusions derived from the study were: (1) Statistically, the production of EVs positively and significantly impacts charging station R&D, (2) the mediating role of investment in charging stations is verified in the relationship between the production of EVs and charging station R&D, (3) environmental tax can moderate the relationship between the production of EVs and charging station R&D. These results implicate, for the first time, that the production of EVs can enhance charging station R&D through the mediating role of charging station investments and the moderating role of environmental tax.