18 Mar 2026
Recently, a research paper titled Impact of government policies on the electric vehicle industry, environment, and society: A systematic review, co-authored by Professor Lixian Qian, Dr Miaomiao Liu and PhD candidate Chi Yang from IBSS, was published in the international journal Technology in Society. The study systematically analyzed policy practices in major global electric vehicle (EV) markets and developed the first EV Policy Effectiveness (EVPE) framework, providing empirical evidence and practical guidance for countries to optimize their EV policy systems and advance the decarbonization of transportation, while clarifying the core direction of policy adaptation for industrial development.
EVs are a key enabler for global transportation decarbonization, air quality improvement and sustainable industrial growth. While governments worldwide have introduced a variety of EV-related policies, their implementation effects have been uneven and their operational logic often misunderstood. Breaking the limitation of traditional studies that focus on a single policy or outcome, this research reviewed 76 high-quality empirical studies from major markets including China, the US and Europe. It integrated four major policy instruments—financial incentives, regulation, demonstration and soft guidance—and comprehensively evaluated their actual effects across five dimensions: technological innovation R&D, corporate financial performance, market adoption, environmental impact and social impact.
The core academic contribution of the study is the development of the EVPE framework. Integrating three perspectives—signaling, information transmission and policy mix—the framework explains the operational mechanism and effectiveness logic of EV policies. It shifts the industry’s discussion on EV policies from "whether policies work" to "which policies work, under what conditions and in what combinations", filling the relevant research gap.
Based on empirical analysis, the study draws three key insights: First, a single policy cannot achieve the expected results. The effect of financial incentives on market adoption is influenced by multiple factors, regulation may increase corporate compliance costs, and demonstration policies deliver the most stable positive impacts on both market development and environmental performance. Second, the environmental benefits of EV policies are tangible but conditional. The supporting of clean power and infrastructure can amplify such benefits, while inadequate policy coordination will weaken emission reduction effects. Third, social equity is a weak link in the policy system. Subsidies with poor targeting mostly benefit high-income groups, and inclusive policy design remains a blind spot in global policy-making.
This study offers important practical guidance for EV industry chain enterprises, investors and policymakers. For automakers, supply chain enterprises and investors, industrial development depends not only on technology and costs, but also closely on policy credibility, long-term planning signals and local policy mixes. Aligning with government development priorities can reduce market uncertainty and unlock innovation advantages. For policymakers, precise policy design is better than mere increased investment; a coordinated policy mix integrating incentives, regulation, demonstration and planning delivers better effects, and policy-making must be based on local realities and tailored to specific contexts.
The research findings are highly aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), directly supporting the advancement of clean technology R&D, carbon emission reduction, clean energy popularization and travel demand reshaping. Meanwhile, the identified risks of policy inequity highlight the need for EV policies to better align with the SDGs of reduced inequalities and effective institutions.
The study concludes that only coherent, context-specific and inclusive EV policies can truly take effect. It provides a roadmap for governments and industry leaders worldwide, helping translate ambitious climate goals into actionable, scalable and socially sustainable measures, and boosting the high-quality development of the global EV industry and the decarbonization of transportation.
Professor Lixian Qian is a Professor in Marketing and Innovation at International Business School Suzhou (IBSS) of Xian Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU). He is currently serving as the Associate Dean for Research at IBSS and the Deputy Chair of University Research Committee. He was the founding director of Smart Mobility Analytics Center of IBSS. He joined XJTLU in 2012 after obtaining his PhD degree at Lancaster University, UK. He obtained his Bachelor and Master degrees from Fudan University, China. He also had rich industry working experience in Fortune Global 500 companies (Intel and Emerson Electric) prior to his PhD study.
Professor Qian’s research focuses on innovation/technology adoption and diffusion, data-driven marketing strategy, smart mobility, and sustainability. His research has been published widely on leading international journals, such as Production and Operations Management, Risk Analysis, Journal of Travel Research, Tourism Management, Journal of Business Ethics, Transportation Research Part A, Psychology & Marketing, Journal of Business Research, Technological Forecasting Social Change, among others. His research has been funded three times by the General Programme of National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). Professor Qian teaches a range of modules on marketing and research methods at undergraduate, postgraduate and executive education levels. He is the Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) in the UK and the council member of China Marketing Association of Universities (CMAU).
He serves as the Section Editor of Sustainable Futures (JCR Q1, CAS Q3, ABS-1), Editorial Board Member of Technological Forecasting & Social Change (JCR Q1, CAS Q1, ABS-3), and ad-hoc reviewer for over 20 SCI/SSCI academic journals and international conferences. He received the 2016/2017 Outstanding Teacher Award of XJTLU, the 2018/2019 IBSS Research Excellence Award, the Outstanding Advisor of the Sixth China National College Students Competition on Energy Economics in 2020, the 2022 Honored Staff of XJTLU, and the Best Paper of 2024 Academy of Management Annual Meeting (Technology & Innovation Divison), the Excellent Paper Award of 2024 Chinese Academy of Management Annual Conference, Finalist of Excellent Paper Award of 2025 Marketing Science & Innovation (MSI 2025) International Conference. He was selected into the Jiangsu 333 High-level Talent Programme in 2022.
Dr Miaomiao Liu is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Intelligent Operations and Marketing at the International Business School Suzhou (IBSS), Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU). She also serves as the Programme Director for the Undergraduate Digital and Intelligent Marketing Programme and Coordinator of the Smart Mobility Analytics Centre.
Prior to joining IBSS, Dr Liu earned her PhD from Fudan University and conducted postdoctoral research at the Postdoctoral Research Station of Management Science and Information Systems (MS&IS) at Fudan University. Her research interests primarily focus on the sharing economy, service refusal, smart mobility, advertising, the silver economy, and user-generated content (UGC). Her scholarly work has been published in several internationally renowned journals, including Decision Support Systems, Journal of Business Research, Transportation Research Part D, and IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication.
18 Mar 2026