Mapping global fuel cell vehicle industry chain and assessing potential supply risks

Abstract

Abstract Fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) have the potential to contribute significantly to improving air quality and addressing climate concerns in the future. However, due to the highly dynamic technology and manufacturing developments, there is a lack of understanding of the state-of-the-art global FCV industry chain and associated supply risks. This study fills such a research gap by mapping global FCV industry chain during the period 2017–2019, and assessing the supply risks of relevant key commodities. The results show that significant supply risks existed in global FCV industry chain, especially in upstream commodities like platinum and gas diffusion layer (GDL). The combined indicator of Herfindahl-Hirschman Index and Worldwide Governance-Indicator (HHI-WGI) is used to quantify the supply risks, showing that HHI-WGI of platinum is on the highest level. On the national level, supply risks are identified primarily in platinum for Japan, in vehicles for the United States, and along the entire industry chain for China. Network analysis is conducted to visualize and analyze how countries, companies and commodities are connected, showing that the highest supply risks were identified in GDLs. It is recommended that country-specific measures should be taken to mitigate supply risks, including building up national stocks of critical materials, investing overseas, enhancing the guidance over industry policies, and stepping up infrastructure construction.