Collaborative Optimization of the New Energy Vehicle Industry Chain: A Technological Innovation Network Perspective

Bottleneck issues such as the decentralized structure of the technological innovation network in the industrial chain and insufficient collaborative efficiency between upstream and downstream segments of the industrial chain have constrained the overall competitiveness of China's new energy vehicle industry. This paper, from the perspective of technological innovation networks, systematically explores the collaborative optimization mechanisms and implementation paths of the new energy vehicle industrial chain. First, social network analysis methods are employed to measure the structural indicators of the patent cooperation network, in order to understand the evolutionary characteristics of the technological innovation network; secondly, a coupling coordination degree model is used to evaluate the level of synergy between technological innovation and industrial development; furthermore, an obstacle degree model is introduced to identify major limiting factors, and a Tobit regression model is applied to explore their impact mechanisms. The study finds that: the inter-level coupling coordination degree of the new energy vehicle industrial chain in Shandong Province shows a “high-decline-fluctuation” trend, with the degree of synergy between technological innovation and industrial development continuously improving. After 2021, the “inflection point effect” is significantly released, gradually forming a virtuous interactive mechanism; the focus of obstacles shifts from “quantitative” to “qualitative” indicators, with infrastructure and market demand obstacles becoming the main bottlenecks; Tobit regression results further confirm the critical impact of innovation capability, supply pressure, and market demand on the collaborative development of the industrial chain.