The fit and misfit of technological capability: responses to vehicle emission regulation in the US

Regulatory moves towards reducing vehicle emissions have not proceeded with uniform success. Some regulations have been readily fulfilled, while others receive much criticism and resistance from the automotive industry. The reasons for this lie in matching the regulatory instrument with the technological capabilities of the auto industry. This paper develops a model describing the instruments used and their effectiveness in the US. In this case, low-emission vehicles which represent an incremental developmetn of established technologies are readily accepted by manufacturers and requre controlling instruments for their intorduction. However, zero-emission vehicles are outside the boundaries of traditional automotive firms, and their development has met more resistance and support for technology development has met more resistance and needs support for technology development as part of the regulations