Deciphering Business Ecosystem Capabilities of the Emerging Electric Vehicle Industry

The aim of this paper is to propose a comprehensive research framework seeking to decipher the evolutionary development of emerging business ecosystems and to identify the necessary strategic capabilities which enable the transformation of business ecosystems from one stage to the next along its life-cycle. Initial findings from exploratory case studies of the EV industry in Chinese Shandong Province show that the EV Business ecosystem emerged from a network of connected entrepreneurs to its current nascent structure. Taking a multi-disciplinary approach, literatures of evolutionary economics, business ecosystem and capabilities have been reviewed. On the basis of the research gaps, a conceptual research framework is proposed that potential contributions of subsequent findings include theoretically enriching business ecosystem theories and benefiting industrial players practically through the formulation of the capability maturity model.