Discussion Questions
1. Are hybrid electrical vehicles a radical innovation or an incremental innovation? Are they competence enhancing or competence destroying, and from whose perspective? How would you answer these questions for fuel cell vehicles?
Hybrid electrical vehicles are a radical innovation because they explore a new technology, they faced high uncertainty when they were launched and even not they face high uncertainty, the features in the hybrid engine are unprecedented and the introduction of hybrid electrical vehicles created a dramatic change that has an impact on the market.
From the perspective of auto makers, hybrid electrical vehicles are competence enhancing. Honda and Toyota were both auto manufacturers and these vehicles have helped reinforce their competencies.
For cell vehicles, the effect will be competence destroying. Existing car makers may need to change their organizational structure to meet the needs of cell vehicles. Also as a new infrastructure for fuelling of these cars is required, the present car makers that are large and unwieldy may go into liquidation.
2. What factors do you think will influence the rate at which hybrid electric vehicles are adopted by consumers?
The factors that will influence the rate at which hybrid electrical vehicles are adopted will be:
1. The price of the vehicle;
2. The performance of the hybrid electrical vehicles;
3. The easy availability of servicing of the vehicles;
4. The comparison of the performance of the normal vehicles with hybrid vehicles;
5. The awareness and the need to have a healthy environment;
6. Improvement in existing technologies;
3. What would be the advantages or disadvantages of Honda and Toyota using the same engine standard?
The main advantage would be that both the companies would gain from economies of scale.
The suppliers of these companies would also gain from economies.
The result would be lower costs for both Honda and Toyota and an...