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The allure of technology: How France and California promoted electric and hybrid vehicles to reduce urban air pollution

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  • David Calef
  • Robert Goble

Abstract

All advanced industrialized societies face the problem of air pollution produced by motor vehicles. In spite of striking improvements in internal combustion engine technology, air pollution in most urban areas is still measured at levels determined to be harmful to human health. Throughout the 1990s and beyond, California and France both chose to improve air quality by means of technological innovation, adopting legislation that promoted clean vehicles, prominently among them, electric vehicles (EVs). In California, policymakers chose a technology-forcing approach, setting ambitious goals (e.g., zero emission vehicles), establishing strict deadlines and issuing penalties for non-compliance. The policy process in California called for substantial participation from the public, the media, the academic community and the interest groups affected by the regulation. The automobile and oil industries bitterly contested the regulation, in public and in the courts. In contrast, in France the policy process was non-adversarial, with minimal public participation and negligible debate in academic circles. We argue that California's stringent regulation spurred the development of innovative hybrid and fuel cell vehicles more effectively than the French approach. However, in spite of the differences, both California and France have been unable to put a substantial number of EVs on the road. Our comparison offers some broad lessons about how policy developments within a culture influence both the development of technology and the impact of humans on the environment. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, LLP 2007

Suggested Citation

  • David Calef & Robert Goble, 2007. "The allure of technology: How France and California promoted electric and hybrid vehicles to reduce urban air pollution," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 40(1), pages 1-34, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:kap:policy:v:40:y:2007:i:1:p:1-34
    DOI: 10.1007/s11077-006-9022-7
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Peng, Yuan & Bai, Xuemei, 2023. "What EV users say about policy efficacy: Evidence from Shanghai," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 16-26.
    2. Maddison, Jonathan & Watts, Richard, 2011. "The technological fix as a frame in media debates about tailpipe emissions," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 294-303.
    3. Ke, Wenwei & Zhang, Shaojun & He, Xiaoyi & Wu, Ye & Hao, Jiming, 2017. "Well-to-wheels energy consumption and emissions of electric vehicles: Mid-term implications from real-world features and air pollution control progress," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 188(C), pages 367-377.
    4. Axsen, Jonn & Kurani, Kenneth S., 2010. "Interpersonal Influence and Pro-Societal Consumption: A Review of Diffusion, Conformity, Dissemination, Translation and Reflexivity," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt8f49p47g, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    5. Axsen, Jonn, 2010. "Interpersonal Influence within Car Buyers’ Social Networks: Observing Consumer Assessment of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) and the Spread of Pro-Societal Values," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt8p32d18k, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    6. Maia, Sara Costa & Teicher, Hannah & Meyboom, AnnaLisa, 2015. "Infrastructure as social catalyst: Electric vehicle station planning and deployment," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 53-65.
    7. Sovacool, Benjamin K., 2011. "The policy challenges of tradable credits: A critical review of eight markets," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 575-585, February.
    8. Grzegorz Mentel & Waldemar Tarczyński & Hossein Azadi & Kalandar Abdurakmanov & Elina Zakirova & Raufhon Salahodjaev, 2022. "R&D Human Capital, Renewable Energy and CO 2 Emissions: Evidence from 26 Countries," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(23), pages 1-13, December.
    9. Wells, Peter & Varma, Adarsh & Newman, Dan & Kay, Duncan & Gibson, Gena & Beevor, Jamie & Skinner, Ian, 2013. "Governmental regulation impact on producers and consumers: A longitudinal analysis of the European automotive market," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 28-41.
    10. Dugoua, Eugenie & Dumas, Marion, 2024. "Coordination dynamics between fuel cell and battery technologies in the transition to clean cars," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 124029, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    11. Williams, Michael R. & Hall, Joshua C., 2015. "Hackerspaces: a case study in the creation and management of a common pool resource," Journal of Institutional Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 11(4), pages 769-781, December.
    12. Chunguang Bai & Behnam Fahimnia & Joseph Sarkis, 2017. "Sustainable transport fleet appraisal using a hybrid multi-objective decision making approach," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 250(2), pages 309-340, March.
    13. Meckling, Jonas & Nahm, Jonas, 2019. "The politics of technology bans: Industrial policy competition and green goals for the auto industry," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 470-479.
    14. Anat Gofen, 2015. "Reconciling policy dissonance: patterns of governmental response to policy noncompliance," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 48(1), pages 3-24, March.
    15. Axsen, Jonn & Kurani, Kenneth S., 2009. "Interpersonal Influence within Car Buyers’ Social Networks: Five Perspectives on Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Demonstration Participants," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt35w7s3jp, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    16. Jiali Yu & Peng Yang & Kai Zhang & Faping Wang & Lixin Miao, 2018. "Evaluating the Effect of Policies and the Development of Charging Infrastructure on Electric Vehicle Diffusion in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-25, September.
    17. Yan, Jianghui & Tseng, Fang-Mei & Lu, Louis Y.Y., 2018. "Developmental trajectories of new energy vehicle research in economic management: Main path analysis," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 168-181.
    18. Michael Naor & Alex Coman & Anat Wiznizer, 2021. "Vertically Integrated Supply Chain of Batteries, Electric Vehicles, and Charging Infrastructure: A Review of Three Milestone Projects from Theory of Constraints Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-21, March.
    19. Bakhtyar, B. & Ibrahim, Y. & Alghoul, M.A. & Aziz, N. & Fudholi, A. & Sopian, K., 2014. "Estimating the CO2 abatement cost: Substitute Price of Avoiding CO2 Emission (SPAE) by Renewable Energy׳s Feed in Tariff in selected countries," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 205-210.
    20. Driscoll, Áine & Lyons, Seán & Mariuzzo, Franco & Tol, Richard S.J., 2013. "Simulating demand for electric vehicles using revealed preference data," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 686-696.
    21. Jonn Axsen & Kenneth S Kurani, 2012. "Interpersonal Influence within Car Buyers' Social Networks: Applying Five Perspectives to Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle Drivers," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 44(5), pages 1047-1065, May.
    22. Bae, Sang Hoo & Sarkis, Joseph & Yoo, Chung Sik, 2011. "Greening transportation fleets: Insights from a two-stage game theoretic model," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 47(6), pages 793-807.
    23. Nair, Sujith & Paulose, Hanna, 2014. "Emergence of green business models: The case of algae biofuel for aviation," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 175-184.
    24. Jonn Axsen & Kenneth S Kurani, 2014. "Social Influence and Proenvironmental Behavior: The Reflexive Layers of Influence Framework," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 41(5), pages 847-862, October.
    25. Sovacool, Benjamin K. & Hirsh, Richard F., 2009. "Beyond batteries: An examination of the benefits and barriers to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) transition," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 1095-1103, March.

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