On the relation of communication and innovation activities: A comparison of hybrid electric and fuel cell vehicles

The automotive industry has proposed and announced a num-ber of technological innovations to reduce the environmentalimpact of transport. Whereas initially many of the proposedtechnologies were surrounded by very optimistic expectations,many technological innovations are not commercially availableyet and expectations eventually turned into disappointment. Thehypes concerning these alternative drivetrain technologies col-lapsed when optimistic announcements could not be met, withinthe proposed timeframe. This paper analyzes the relation betweenresearch and development activities (innovation activities) andcommunication activities in the automotive industry using patentstatistics, press releases and interviews. The analysis reveals thatthe underlying characteristics of the specific technology have aninfluence on the relation between communication and innovationactivities. When innovations depend on the build-up of a new infra-structure actors have a strong incentive to raise expectations. Thissuggests that the specific shape of the hype cycle is depending onthe complexity of the Technology.