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"Dual-Smart" city construction and technical innovation:Evidence from China's new energy vehicle industry

Author

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  • Liu, Dehai
  • Fu, Shaoyan
  • Li, Huiyun
  • Huang, Fuqiang

Abstract

Taking China's highly innovative smart and intelligent networked vehicle and smart city infrastructure collaborative development pilot (referred to as the "Dual-Smart" pilot) as a quasi-natural experiment, this paper empirically investigates the impact of the "Dual-Smart" pilot on the innovation of new energy vehicle (NEV) enterprises by constructing a difference-in-difference (DID) model. The results demonstrate that: (1) The "Dual-Smart" pilot has promoted the innovation quantity and quality of NEV enterprises, and the finding remains robust after a series of placebo tests, PSM-DID model tests and systematic GMM model tests. (2) Industry-university-research integration has played a positive moderating role and strengthened the innovation effect of the "Dual-Smart" pilot on NEV enterprises. (3) The "Dual-Smart" pilot is more favorable to the innovation of state-owned NEV enterprises, large-scale NEV enterprises, NEV enterprises with a high proportion of R&D executives, NEV enterprises with a low level of supply chain concentration and NEV enterprises located in cities with a high urban marketization level. (4) It is also found that the "Dual-Smart" pilot promotes NEV enterprise innovation by enhancing urban digital finance at the macro level and accelerating enterprise talent gathering and intelligent transformation at the micro level. The research conclusions not only provide a theoretical basis for the Chinese government departments to optimize the "Dual-Smart" pilot supporting policies, but also provide a reference for other countries to formulate intelligent networked policies for NEVs.

Suggested Citation

  • Liu, Dehai & Fu, Shaoyan & Li, Huiyun & Huang, Fuqiang, 2025. ""Dual-Smart" city construction and technical innovation:Evidence from China's new energy vehicle industry," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 335(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:335:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225038952
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.138253
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