Evaluation and analysis of leading position in hydrogen fuel cell vehicle innovation network and the influential factors: a case of patent citations in China

Hydrogen fuel cell vehicle industry is of great significance for China to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 and enhance the international competitiveness in the new energy vehicle industry. We propose a framework to evaluate the leading position in the innovation network of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and analyze the influential factors of the leading position. First, we construct China’s hydrogen fuel cell vehicle innovation network and its two sub-networks through 3528 patents registered in China and applied by 254 Chinese and foreign innovators. Second, the positions of Chinese and foreign innovators in the network are evaluated. Last, the influential factors of the leading position are tested through regression analysis. The main results show that (1) China has formed a hub-and-spoke mode of innovation cluster in hydrogen fuel cell vehicle innovation network, but the inter-provincial innovation cooperation has not been formed in the industrial chain. (2) Universities and research institutes are important innovators in China’s hydrogen fuel cell vehicle innovation network. Firms obtain knowledge through collaboration with them, which form an industry-university-research cooperation mode. (3) The number of Chinese leaders in hydrogen fuel cell vehicle network is increasing. Foreign innovators occupy the leading position in fuel cell sub-network, while Chinese innovators are the leaders in hydrogen infrastructure sub-network. (4) The leading position of Chinese innovators in hydrogen infrastructure sub-network is promoted by the patent applications of the universities, the development of equipment manufacturing, the government subsidies, and the competition of electric vehicles, while they are hindered by the scale of traditional automobile industry.