Digitalization and the Emergence of E-Mobility Technology in German Regions

The automotive industry is extremely important in Germany and its OEMs and suppliers are still globally competitive. However, the shift from combustion engines to e-mobility drive trains is restructuring the industry. Accordingly, this paper analyzes the determinants affecting the emergence of e-mobility drive technologies in the automotive sector. In doing so, we emphasize the role of digital technologies in the sector’s environmental transformation, drawing from the “twin-transition” framework, where digital and green shifts mutually influence one another. Methodically, we use an event-history approach to empirically explore the early appearance of R&D activities in the form of patent-based or funded-project-based collaboration events at the regional level over the period 1990 to 2018. Our results indicate positive and significant relatedness between various digitalization variables and the early emergence of e-mobility activities in regions. At the same time, the geographical context appears to be only of marginal importance.