Identifying the Core Knowledge Domains of Emerging Technologies: The Case of New Energy Vehicles

Basic research plays a key role in delivering technological and industrial innovation, especially in the emerging industries. Therefore, how to identify the core knowledge domains in cutting-edge technologies present important strategic implications for both researchers and practitioners. This paper aims to explore the core knowledge domains and their evolutionary dynamics in such an emerging technologies as new energy vehicle. Collecting data of research papers from Web of Science as sample, it firstly constructs a field citation network of main research domains. Secondly, it uses input-output method to measure the knowledge frontiers and the knowledge bases, with scientific sensitivity coefficient and scientific influence coefficient as measurement indicators, respectively. Finally, it explores the evolutionary dynamics of the frontier and core knowledge domains from 1991 to 2015. Results show that core knowledge fields in the new energy vehicles consist of energy fuels, electrochemistry, chemistry, transportation and environment sciences etc., and they had different pushing and pulling effects on the research of new energy vehicle during different development phases.