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Imagined people, behaviour and future mobility: Insights from visions of electric vehicles and car clubs in the United Kingdom

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  • Bergman, Noam
  • Schwanen, Tim
  • Sovacool, Benjamin K.

Abstract

This study focuses on imagined futures of personal mobility in the United Kingdom in the context of the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transport. Focusing on two innovations, electric vehicles and car clubs, the study investigates how people, behaviour and mobility are imagined in a range of visioning documents about the future up to 2050, a timeline that is critically important for emission reduction targets. We find that people are imagined primarily as consumers in line with the rational actor paradigm, with many visions focusing on low-carbon vehicles as a sustainability solution. This simple technological substitution vision does not play to the strengths of electric vehicles, and diminishes their transformative potential. There are fewer car club visions; these show less car ownership, but retain high mobility and an economic growth perspective. Our findings support the idea that much future mobility visioning is used to support the status quo, rather than to explore a variety of futures with diverse portrayal of people, behaviour and mobility.

Suggested Citation

  • Bergman, Noam & Schwanen, Tim & Sovacool, Benjamin K., 2017. "Imagined people, behaviour and future mobility: Insights from visions of electric vehicles and car clubs in the United Kingdom," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 165-173.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:trapol:v:59:y:2017:i:c:p:165-173
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2017.07.016
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    15. Chris Tennant & Susan Howard & Sally Stares, 2021. "Building the UK vision of a driverless future: A Parliamentary Inquiry case study," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 8(1), pages 1-14, December.
    16. Jenn, Alan, 2019. "Emissions Benefits of Electric Vehicles in Uber and Lyft Services," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt15s1h1kn, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
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