ANALYTICAL-STATISTICAL MODEL OF ELECTRIC VEHICLE PRODUCTION: HARMONIZATION OF CAPITAL INTENSITY AND TECHNOLOGICAL OBSOLESCENCE

Abstract

The rapid transition of the automotive industry toward electric mobility has fundamentally altered the structure of capital investment. Electric vehicle production is characterized by a growing mismatch between long-term capital-intensive investments in gigafactories and short technological life cycles driven by rapid battery innovation. This temporal asymmetry increases the risks of technological obsolescence and capital depreciation before full amortization is achieved. The purpose of this study is to develop a conceptual framework for harmonizing capital intensity and technological aging in electric vehicle manufacturing through the integration of Industry 4.0 technologies and artificial intelligence tools. The research is based on statistical analysis of global battery production capacity, capital expenditure data, and commodity price dynamics for critical battery materials. The results demonstrate that traditional cost-reduction strategies based solely on economies of scale are insufficient under conditions of technological turbulence and high discount rates. The study substantiates the shift toward time-oriented optimization, emphasizing flexible cyber-physical production systems, modular manufacturing, and over-the-air software updates as mechanisms for extending the economic life of fixed assets. The proposed hybrid model reduces the pace of moral depreciation and enhances investment efficiency in electric vehicle production.