What Drives Innovation and How Its Relevance is Established. A Perspective on Electric Vehicle Promotion in La Rochelle and Gothenburg : 1989-2000

For the past few years, in France and in Sweden, electric vehicle promotion has been pursued as part of a political strategy to decrease greenhouse gas emissions within the transport sector, thus tackling climate change. From a general perspective, transport electrification is presented as a relevan...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Marika Rupeka
Format: Article
Language:fra
Published: Ministère de la culture
Series:Les Cahiers de la Recherche Architecturale, Urbaine et Paysagère
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/craup/297
_version_ 1797309268156743680
author Marika Rupeka
author_facet Marika Rupeka
author_sort Marika Rupeka
collection DOAJ
description For the past few years, in France and in Sweden, electric vehicle promotion has been pursued as part of a political strategy to decrease greenhouse gas emissions within the transport sector, thus tackling climate change. From a general perspective, transport electrification is presented as a relevant technological choice given the structure of electric energy production processes that are nuclear-based in France and correspond to a mix of renewable sources in Sweden. It is believed that the complexity of environmental impacts can be assessed fully through technology life cycle analysis. Beyond the climate and environmental health discourse there is also a strong motivation to conquer new markets by means of “green” technologies. What binds these motives and how do they affect urban territories? To shed light upon this inquiry, this research paper offers a parallel case study on electric vehicle promotion strategies in Gothenburg and La Rochelle urban agglomerations in the 1990s. By asking why territories innovate and how they determine the relevance of specific organisational and technological solutions, the aim is to contribute to an historic scholarly debate on the need to study motives that drive territorial innovation as much as the transformation process itself. This research paper reveals that there are (at least) three different perspectives from which the relevance of technological solutions for specific territorial contexts is established: 1/ the local political history perspective, 2/ the international perspective, 3/ the individual (user) perspective. On all three levels by means of motivations, attitudes, vocabularies, and methods corporate cultures and agendas translate into the narratives arguing the relevance of territorial innovation.
first_indexed 2024-03-08T01:24:45Z
format Article
id doaj.art-4eaf139202e54e588eb0a41874c5b465
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2606-7498
language fra
last_indexed 2024-03-08T01:24:45Z
publisher Ministère de la culture
record_format Article
series Les Cahiers de la Recherche Architecturale, Urbaine et Paysagère
spelling doaj.art-4eaf139202e54e588eb0a41874c5b4652024-02-14T14:06:42ZfraMinistère de la cultureLes Cahiers de la Recherche Architecturale, Urbaine et Paysagère2606-7498110.4000/craup.297What Drives Innovation and How Its Relevance is Established. A Perspective on Electric Vehicle Promotion in La Rochelle and Gothenburg : 1989-2000Marika RupekaFor the past few years, in France and in Sweden, electric vehicle promotion has been pursued as part of a political strategy to decrease greenhouse gas emissions within the transport sector, thus tackling climate change. From a general perspective, transport electrification is presented as a relevant technological choice given the structure of electric energy production processes that are nuclear-based in France and correspond to a mix of renewable sources in Sweden. It is believed that the complexity of environmental impacts can be assessed fully through technology life cycle analysis. Beyond the climate and environmental health discourse there is also a strong motivation to conquer new markets by means of “green” technologies. What binds these motives and how do they affect urban territories? To shed light upon this inquiry, this research paper offers a parallel case study on electric vehicle promotion strategies in Gothenburg and La Rochelle urban agglomerations in the 1990s. By asking why territories innovate and how they determine the relevance of specific organisational and technological solutions, the aim is to contribute to an historic scholarly debate on the need to study motives that drive territorial innovation as much as the transformation process itself. This research paper reveals that there are (at least) three different perspectives from which the relevance of technological solutions for specific territorial contexts is established: 1/ the local political history perspective, 2/ the international perspective, 3/ the individual (user) perspective. On all three levels by means of motivations, attitudes, vocabularies, and methods corporate cultures and agendas translate into the narratives arguing the relevance of territorial innovation.https://journals.openedition.org/craup/297innovation diffusionterritorial experimentsinfrastructureurban living conditionsenvironmental health
spellingShingle Marika Rupeka
What Drives Innovation and How Its Relevance is Established. A Perspective on Electric Vehicle Promotion in La Rochelle and Gothenburg : 1989-2000
Les Cahiers de la Recherche Architecturale, Urbaine et Paysagère
innovation diffusion
territorial experiments
infrastructure
urban living conditions
environmental health
title What Drives Innovation and How Its Relevance is Established. A Perspective on Electric Vehicle Promotion in La Rochelle and Gothenburg : 1989-2000
title_full What Drives Innovation and How Its Relevance is Established. A Perspective on Electric Vehicle Promotion in La Rochelle and Gothenburg : 1989-2000
title_fullStr What Drives Innovation and How Its Relevance is Established. A Perspective on Electric Vehicle Promotion in La Rochelle and Gothenburg : 1989-2000
title_full_unstemmed What Drives Innovation and How Its Relevance is Established. A Perspective on Electric Vehicle Promotion in La Rochelle and Gothenburg : 1989-2000
title_short What Drives Innovation and How Its Relevance is Established. A Perspective on Electric Vehicle Promotion in La Rochelle and Gothenburg : 1989-2000
title_sort what drives innovation and how its relevance is established a perspective on electric vehicle promotion in la rochelle and gothenburg 1989 2000
topic innovation diffusion
territorial experiments
infrastructure
urban living conditions
environmental health
url https://journals.openedition.org/craup/297
work_keys_str_mv AT marikarupeka whatdrivesinnovationandhowitsrelevanceisestablishedaperspectiveonelectricvehiclepromotioninlarochelleandgothenburg19892000