The impact of the corporate average fuel economy standards on technological changes in automobile fuel efficiency

This paper empirically examines the effect of the U.S. Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards on the technological progress in automobile fuel efficiency. Using detailed vehicle attributes data from 1978 through 2018, we find that more stringent fuel economy standards increase the rate of technological improvements in new passenger cars, and this effect is primarily driven by the response of U.S. automakers. We do not find evidence that CAFE standards have a similar effect on the technical change in light-duty trucks. Our results also indicate that higher gasoline prices have a significant and positive effect on the improvement of fuel-saving technology in both passenger cars and light trucks. Using our empirical estimates, we project that the recent rollback of Obama-era CAFE standards would forego an approximately 2-percent increase in cars’ fuel economy over the 2021–2025 period as a result of technological progress.     

Fuel Economy Standards, New Vehicle Sales, and Average Fuel Efficiency

The average fuel efficiency of new automobiles sold in the United States increased substantially from 1975 to 1981. This trend stagnated in 1981, however, and average fuel efficiency has actually fallen since 1987. Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards—the major policy tool in the United States directed at improving fuel efficiency—may have contributed to the stagnation and decline of average fuel efficiency by shifting automobile sales toward lower mileage vehicles. This paper illustrates how changes in vehicle sales act to dilute the intended effects of CAFE standards, and can actually lead to a decrease in average fuel efficiency.     

Relaxing CAFE: Foreign direct investment,NAFTA and domestic product standards

This paper studies the effects of domestic product standards on the offshoring behaviour of automotive firms. In particular, we examine an important non‐tariff barrier to trade within US fuel economy policy—the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) “two‐fleet rule.” By leveraging the removal of the two‐fleet rule upon implementation of NAFTA and exploiting a policy discontinuity based on vehicle characteristics, we present evidence that the costs of offshoring were reduced to a larger degree for varieties that were subject to US fuel economy rules. Specifically, we estimate that prices fell between 5% to 10% for varieties subject to the CAFE two‐fleet rule relative to varieties that were exempt from the rule. These effects are persistent, not present for manufacturers that did not offshore prior to NAFTA and are robust to variety‐specific trends. These effects also reconcile the post‐NAFTA differences in implied compliance costs between cars and trucks for our treatment manufacturer (Chrysler). Overall, the results highlight the potential costs of regional enforcement of otherwise location‐neutral product standards, which may act as a barrier to natural patterns of efficient specialization.     

Is the stock market sticker shocked? A study of market response to recent CAFE regulations in the US

In response to increasing environmental concerns, to improve energy security and to conserve energy use, the US government has proposed a new round of Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. Many studies have focused on how the CAFE standard can be met by various automakers that have sales in the US market, and the costs and benefits of the companies meeting the standard. However, the stock markets’ view on the impact of the standard on automakers’ profitability is largely absent. We study the more recent episode of the CAFE regulation in an effort to try to detect the market response using the standard event study method. Our empirical findings suggest that while the stock market had some responses to the regulation, the large-scale and systematic reaction to the regulation is absent. In addition, the market response pattern to the regulation appears to be tied to the individual company’s compliance condition if there is any significant response at all.     

GREENHOUSE‐GAS EMISSION CONTROLS IN AN OPEN ECONOMY*

To examine how greenhouse‐gas emission controls affect a country's industrial and trade structures, this article presents an open economy model that has both Ricardian and Heckscher–Ohlin features. We specifically compare emission quotas, emission taxes, and emission standards. The patterns of production and trade critically hinge on those policy tools. It is shown that a domestic emission control may lead to carbon leakage and may not reduce the world emissions, and that emission standards may work as a “hidden” production subsidy toward an emission‐intensive industry.     

西安重型汽车产业集群化发展研究

近年来我国重型汽车的迅猛发展,为我国国民经济的整体发展做出了重要贡献.在国家加快实施西部大开发战略的关键时期,西安作为西北地区唯一国家定点的重型载货车生产基地,重型汽车市场潜力巨大.建立和发展重型汽车产业集群是发展西安重型汽车工业的必然要求和最佳选择.     

循环经济视角下的产业结构调整途径

从发展循环经济的视角看,我国的产业结构调整还存在忽视资源环境的禀赋性、忽视产业结构性污染、忽视产业内部结构层次提升、忽视产业结构体系的完整性等不足之处。调整产业结构必须坚持循环经济理念,要求构建新型产业结构系统,促进产业结构的合理化和高级化。基于此,循环经济视角下的产业结构调整途径主要有:积极发展地区资源特色产业,实现资源优化配置;全面调整产业结构布局,克服结构性污染;优化产业内部结构,促进节能降耗和积极发展生态产业,完善产业结构体系等。     

中国汽车产业的外向发展与节能减排

中国汽车产业的产销量一直呈现良好的上升趋势。但在金融危机下,受国内外环境和政策的影响,中国汽车产业产销量的增速有所放缓,汽车的价格受市场竞争程度和供求状况等因素的影响出现了波动。为了保证中国汽车产业的平衡发展,更好地实现可持续发展,需要加快汽车产业节能减排的步伐。     

旅游产业经济贡献综合评析--以湖北省为例

随着旅游业对地区经济发展贡献日渐提高,许多地方将旅游业定位为支柱产业来发展。但是支柱产业地位的确定需要多项经济指标支撑,一些地方仅凭主观认识或以不科学的评价指标来衡量旅游产业经济贡献,容易导致旅游产业定位决策失误。为了全面科学地评价旅游产业的经济贡献,文章以支柱产业的经济贡献标准为出发点,以产业增加值占GDP比重、需求收人弹性、就业容量、行业关联度四个因子构建了旅游产业经济贡献评价指标体系,并对湖北省旅游产业经济贡献进行了实证分析;根据对相关数据的分析提出:目前湖北省旅游产业尚未达到支柱产业的标准,可以将其作为“准支柱产业”来培育。     

双重激励下地方政府发展新兴产业的动机与策略研究

本文建立了政策执行的双重激励模型,探索政治激励、经济激励与地方政府政策执行方式的相互关系。通过考察新能源汽车产业政策在地方层面的执行情况,笔者发现,地方政府执行中央政府产业政策的实质动机是经济激励。由于新兴产业的市场回报无法现时兑现,且其发展前景与本地的资源禀赋情况密切相关,因此对地方政府的经济激励呈现很大的不确定性和差异性。地方政府故而在平衡经济发展和政治晋升的情况下作出实动、暗动、伪动、缓动等不同选择。本文进一步提出了新兴产业政策制定和执行的启示。     

汽车产品再制造中的知识产权问题分析

汽车产品再制造是汽车工业发展循环经济的重要途径,是汽车工业可持续发展的必然选择。随着再制造产业的发展,原产品制造商与再制造商的利益冲突和知识产权冲突问题逐渐显现。明确再制造中的知识产权保护原则,平衡各方的利益,才能既鼓励创新,保护知识产权人的利益,又可以高效发展汽车再制造产业。     

河北省重化工业科学发展对策探析

重化工业的发展是现代市场经济和工业化发展中不可逾越的重要阶段,是经济发展到一定水平和阶段的重要引擎。重化工业在实行科学化运营、高新科技投入、循环经济以及精益生产方式下同样可以实现高产出、低耗能、低污染或无污染。     

知识互溢视角下新能源汽车产业链功能演化GERT网络模型研究

新能源汽车产业链具有资金与技术密集、知识自发溢出等特点,其功能提升与发挥程度决定产业发展质量。提升我国新能源汽车产业创新竞争力和整体水平,关键在于促使创新价值增值最大化,充分发挥产业链功能。针对我国新能源汽车产业链发展现状,构建基于创新价值流动的新能源汽车产业链功能演化GERT网络模型,以知识互溢为视角,设计未进行知识互溢、初步知识互溢和充分知识互溢3种仿真情境进行对比分析。结果发现,知识互溢能够显著促进产业链创新价值增值,提高价值转移概率,充分知识互溢对提升原材料、电池、电机等产业链核心环节功能意义重大。因此,相关部门应精准施策,在发展分散式充电桩、增加“三电”环节资金和人才投入等方面采取更加积极的措施。     

低碳经济下的中国可再生能源产业发展对策探析

基于"低碳经济"发展的本质要求,减少对化石等高碳型能源的需求,增加对可再生能源(新能源)等低碳型能源的生产与消费,促使经济发展方式由"高碳经济"向"低碳经济"转型,这将具有重要的意义。文章分析了发展可再生能源产业对发展"低碳经济"的重要作用以及目前我国可再生能源产业发展存在的问题。据此,提出了符合低碳经济要求的我国可再生能源产业发展的政策建议,具体为:提高对发展可再生能源产业重要性的认识;促进可再生能源技术创新,增强企业自主创新能力,提高可再生能源产业的技术水平;组建可再生能源产业发展的协调机构,建立统一管理的协调机制;完善可再生能源产业政策与法规。     

The Spanish automotive industry: scale economies and input relationships

This paper investigates the existence of economies of scale in the Spanish automobile industry as well as the substitution possibilities between input pairs and the direct and cross price elasticities of demand for the various inputs by estimating a translog cost function for both a three input model involving capital, labour, and intermediate goods as well as a four input model where energy is separated from other intermediate goods. The results of this study are consistent with the hypothesis of economies of scale in the Spanish automobile industry, particularly at the low and mean levels of output. These results also are consistent with the hypothesis that capital is a substitute for the other inputs, but that labour and intermediate goods are complements. Labour and energy also appear to have a complementary relationship over most of the data points in this study. The significance of a complementary relationship between labour and intermediate goods is that any attempt by the Spanish government to restrict imports of these inputs, resulting in higher domestic prices for them, may aggravate an already serious domestic unemployment problem.     

扎根理论下新能源汽车协同创新战略研究

宇通作为中国客车行业的领导企业,不仅在新能源汽车领域领先发展,而且对新能源汽车产业发展贡献卓越。借助扎根理论研究方法,通过对宇通新能源汽车原始资料的三段编码,深入探讨其发展战略。研究发现,宇通公司通过组织创新、技术创新、市场创新和产品创新等多维度创新,形成了协同创新战略,这是宇通新能源汽车取得目前成绩的关键。其中,产品创新战略是协同创新战略的核心,组织创新战略是重要保障,技术创新战略是基础和重要组成部分,市场创新战略是必要手段。在此基础上,形成协同创新战略模型和协同创新5阶段推进战略。     

AUTOMOBILE FUEL ECONOMY: WHAT IS IT WORTH?

The marginal value of increased automobile fuel economy is estimated using a hedonic model of 2001 model year automobiles sold in the United States. This value is then compared to the average expected lifetime fuel savings attributable to increased fuel economy. Results indicate that automobile buyers fully internalize fuel cost savings attributable to improved fuel economy at low discount rates, and may partially internalize other perceived benefits of improved fuel economy such as reduction in global warming or fossil fuel dependence.     

新技术进步会阻碍传统技术创新吗——来自汽车产业的实证检验

在新旧技术竞争过程中，传统企业会适时调整研发策略，以应对新技术进步对传统技术造成的冲击。然而，新技术对传统技术的影响究竟表现为创新替代效应还是创新互补效应，至今依然没有得到确切结论。以汽车产业为研究对象，比较传统燃油汽车和电动汽车两种新旧技术的发展路径，并结合产业生命周期理论提出汽车产业的三阶段演化模型。进一步基于1995—2021年省级专利数据和面板向量自回归模型，从产品创新和工艺创新两个维度实证检验各阶段电动汽车技术进步对传统汽车企业创新的影响。结果表明，在电动汽车产业的范式导入期（1995—2008年），新技术通过产品创新和工艺创新两方面促进传统技术发展；在电动汽车产业的范式构建期（2009—2021年），新技术依然对传统技术有显著推动作用，但仅通过工艺创新促进传统技术发展。     

“十三五”时期海洋经济发展情况、问题与建议

海洋是高质量发展的战略要地。海洋经济的快速发展已成为带动东部地区率先发展、培育经济发展新动能、构建开放型经济的有力支撑。"十四五"时期是我国经济迈向高质量发展的重要时期,海洋经济发展应从科学利用与优化配置海洋资源、谋划构建现代海洋产业体系、提高海洋关键核心技术创新能力、高标准建设海洋生态文明、打造海洋经济对外开放新格局等方面综合施策,加快推进海洋强国建设。     

Optimal compliance with emission constraints: dynamic characteristics and the choice of technique

The paper analyzes how to comply with an emission constraint, which restricts the use of an established energy technique, given the two options to save energy and to invest in two alternative energy techniques. These techniques differ in their deterioration rates and the investment lags of the corresponding capital stocks. Thus, the paper takes a medium-term perspective on climate change mitigation, where the time horizon is too short for technological change to occur, but long enough for capital stocks to accumulate and deteriorate. It is shown that, in general, only one of the two alternative techniques prevails in the stationary state, although, both techniques might be utilized during the transition phase. Hence, while in a static economy only one technique is efficient, this is not necessarily true in a dynamic economy.