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A case study of socio-cultural and technical factors in automobile design: Discourses between designers and potential users on a new electric vehicle in Africa

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  • Nur, Bakheit Mohammed

Abstract

Technological artifacts emerge and develop within social contexts, inextricably interconnecting technology and society. This article addresses this interconnection empirically, analyzing the implementation of an electric vehicle designed and built by students of automotive engineering at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in Germany. The students created this vehicle to address problems of mobility for rural populations in Africa, aiming to provide local residents with better access to necessities of life such as healthcare, education, and transportation. The article examines African perceptions of and responses to the vehicle, as well as specific suggestions for future improvement. It discusses not only African reactions to the vehicle and its potential social impact on African societies, but also the concepts and ideas of the designers behind this automotive construction. It also acknowledges the ways in which the engineers based their work on assumptions about African needs rather than on substantial ethnographic research, which diminished their ability to succeed.

Suggested Citation

  • Nur, Bakheit Mohammed, 2020. "A case study of socio-cultural and technical factors in automobile design: Discourses between designers and potential users on a new electric vehicle in Africa," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:teinso:v:63:y:2020:i:c:s0160791x19304002
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2020.101398
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kheirandish, Shadi & Funk, Mathias & Wensveen, Stephan & Verkerk, Maarten & Rauterberg, Matthias, 2020. "A comprehensive value framework for design," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    2. Gabriel Klaeger, 2012. "Rush and Relax: the Rhythms and Speeds of Touting Perishable Products on a Ghanaian Roadside," Mobilities, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 7(4), pages 537-554.
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    Cited by:

    1. Roberto Ruggieri & Marco Ruggeri & Giuliana Vinci & Stefano Poponi, 2021. "Electric Mobility in a Smart City: European Overview," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-29, January.
    2. Sovacool, Benjamin K. & Daniels, Chux & AbdulRafiu, Abbas, 2022. "Transitioning to electrified, automated and shared mobility in an African context: A comparative review of Johannesburg, Kigali, Lagos and Nairobi," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).

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