Program on Vehicle and Mobility Innovation (PVMI)

Introducing AV4EV: Our Initiative to Study Commercialization of Autonomous Driving

A busy highway at sunset with several cars, highlighted with digital overlays representing self-driving or connected vehicle technology.

The automotive industry is on the brink of a massive transformation as autonomous vehicles (AVs) and electric vehicles (EVs) are poised to experience widespread growth and adoption over the next several years. While these new technologies hold tremendous potential in reducing carbon emissions, improving safety, enhancing mobility, and increasing efficiency,…Read More

John Paul MacDuffie in WSJ: Climate Change Technologies That Could Make All the Difference

A white silhouette of an electric car with a charging plug on a green background, symbolizing an electric vehicle charging station.

John Paul MacDuffie, Director of the Program on Vehicle and Mobility Innovation at the Mack Institute, was featured in the Wall Street Journal alongside other experts discussing innovations in green technology. MacDuffie weighed in on the development of more efficient EV batteries, which could speed along the adoption of electric…Read More

Data in the Evolving Mobility Ecosystem

Aerial view of a complex highway interchange with multiple overpasses and lanes, surrounded by urban development and trees.

Data strategy for the future of mobility may be one of the greatest opportunities for firms to capture value from their innovation investments in connected vehicles. At the same time, adoption of data-first strategy presents potential pitfalls for data usage.…Read More

NYTimes: Rivian I.P.O. Is Embraced by Investors Looking for Another Tesla

A yellow maintenance vehicle is grinding on railway tracks, creating visible sparks beneath it. The image captures a side view of the vehicle, focusing on its heavy-duty equipment and undercarriage.

John Paul MacDuffie was quoted in a New York Times in a story about Rivian, an electric truck manufacturers who shook the stock market after releasing their first product: a fleet of only 150 pickup trucks, launched after ten years of research and development.…Read More

“Mobility Becomes Electric”: New White Paper With Engine No. 1

A bustling urban street scene with blurred motion from taxis and buses, vibrant billboards, and a crosswalk capturing the city''s energy and movement.

We’re proud to announce the publication of a new white paper written by John Paul MacDuffie, Director of the Program on Vehicle and Mobility Innovation, and published by investment firm Engine No. 1. Entitled “Mobility Becomes Electric: The Role of Automotive OEMs in Speeding the Battery Electric Vehicle Future,” the…Read More

The Future of Mobility: Strategy, Technology, and Geopolitics

A night cityscape featuring light trails from moving vehicles on a highway and a curved overpass, surrounded by tall buildings.

Discussing the “once in a century” transformation of the auto industry, including electric and autonomous vehicles, data and AI, and global supply chain issues…Read More

Are Affordable Electric Vehicle Batteries on the Horizon?

Close-up of several yellow batteries with metallic tops, representing energy storage or power supply.

One key factor affecting consumer acceptance of electric vehicles is the price and performance of batteries, so the Electric Vehicle Forecasting Challenge includes a question about the cost per kilowatt-hour (KwH) in 2016.…Read More

Thriving Innovation Amidst Manufacturing Decline: The Detroit Auto Cluster and the Resilience of Local Knowledge Production

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Analyzing the comprehensive 35-year patent data set associated with the Detroit auto cluster we confirm that innovation in clusters can increase in spite of a long-term decline in manufacturing activity. The “stickiness” of local knowledge is sustained by: (i) increasing technological specialization at the local level and (ii) growing connectedness to global centers of excellence.…Read More

Knowledge Generation and Innovation Diffusion in the Global Automotive Industry—Change and Stability During Turbulent Times

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This introduction to the April 2015 Industrial and Corporate Change special section establishes the context within which automotive firms cope with turbulence caused by globalization, new governmental regulations, and advances in electronics, communication, and drive train technologies.…Read More

Institutional Change and Productivity Growth in China’s Manufacturing: The Microeconomics of Knowledge Accumulation and “Creative Restructuring”

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This article investigates the microeconomics underlying the spectacular growth of productivity in China’s manufacturing sector over the period 1998–2007. Underlying the aggregate evidence of such dramatic growth, one observes a large, albeit shrinking, intra-sectoral heterogeneity coupled with an even more important process of learning and knowledge accumulation.…Read More

The Patterns of Chinese Firm Growth: A Conditional Estimation Approach of the Asymmetric Exponential Power Density

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This article investigates the impact of ownership type on the entire growth rate distributional mass of Chinese firms, using a conditional estimation approach of the asymmetric exponential power density that goes beyond simple location-shift analysis.…Read More