Global electric vehicle network: Structural patterns and news sentiment

Although the expansion of electric vehicles (EVs) is altering international trade patterns, the interaction between market organization and policy intervention remains underdeveloped. Using a social network perspective, we describe the global EV trade network from 2012 to 2021 and show that the U.S., China, Germany, and Japan occupy central positions in cross-border exchanges. We then employ an extended gravity model to examine whether media sentiment is associated with trade flows. A sentiment measure derived from the GDELT database suggests that favorable coverage is associated with higher EV exports, whereas unfavorable reporting is associated with only a modest reduction. We also examine how environmental policies condition these relationships. General tax-based instruments appear to have limited influence, while policies targeting energy use and pollution strengthen the association between positive sentiment and trade and weaken the restrictive role of negative narratives. Our analysis indicates that media environments and environmental regulation are relevant for understanding variation in EV trade outcomes.