The existential threat of rising carbon emissions and climate change has prompted an historic shift to electric vehicles (EVs). Along with that shift, the global EV sector has become a pawn in a larger geopolitical competition.
EVs are a fusion of leading-edge imbedded technology. When viewed in the context of techno-nationalism, EVs are increasingly susceptible to a growing list of techno-nationalist rules and regulations, including export controls and other restrictions, as well as stipulations relating to data localization, security, and privacy.
At the heart of all EV technologies – including Artificial Intelligence (AI), software, navigation and communications platforms, and onboard sensory equipment – are semiconductors. An acute global microchip shortage in 2020 and 2021, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, has accelerated the geopolitical changes transforming the automotive sector.
In this second paper of the Hinrich Foundation EV and techno-nationalism series, Research Fellow Alex Capri examines rising trends that link semiconductors to a rapidly evolving global EV sector, including:
- Emerging strategic partnerships between EV manufacturers and microchip companies
- The blurring of the line between high-tech and automotive products
- Challenges facing EV’s “dual-use” technology for cross-border investment and collaboration
- New EV semiconductor technology: silicon carbide and gallium nitrogen microchips
- Subsidies and government initiatives impacting the semiconductor-EV nexus