The analysis of evolution of technological innovation system in the Natural Gas Vehicle industry of Iran

Considering the importance of alternative gasoline and diesel fuels in relation to reducing environmental pollution and reducing reliance on liquid fuels, the present article seeks to study and analyze the formation and growth of natural gas vehicle technology in Iran, along with an examination of its failures using the functional framework of the technological innovation system concept. To this end, a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods for analyzing the technological innovation system of natural gas vehicle has been used. In the qualitative section, using interviews with experts and activists of the field and analyzing the documents and activities carried out in this area, the path of the formation of natural gas vehicle technology in the country has been drawn up by using the technique of historical data mapping. On this basis, based on the literature reviewed, its functions and indicators were extracted as a conceptual model and confirmed by a confirmatory factor analysis method. Then, using structural equations modeling, the path and the effect of the functions on each other were analyzed. The results of this study indicate that there is some evidence of the formation of an imperfect system building motor.