Hybrid or electric vehicles? A real options perspective

This paper investigates the decision of an automaker concerning the alternative promotion of a hybrid vehicle (HV) and a full electric vehicle (EV). We evaluate the HV project by considering the option to change promotion from the HV to the EV in the future. The results not only extend previous findings concerning American options on multiple assets, but also include several new implications. One notable observation is that the increased market demand for EVs can accelerate the promotion of the HV because of the embedded option. JEL Classifications Code: C61, G13, G31, O32.