Abstract:

A large number of factors at both local and national levels affect the adoption rate of electric vehicles (EVs). Much of the research aimed at understanding what conditions are based on either degree in which adoption thrives.  There is also relatively little attention for the configurational nature of its uptake. This paper present a Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) of e-mobility policies in 15 European cities in order to identify policy configurations on the national and local, urban level that lead to favorable results, i.e. the successful promotion and consequent adoption of EV's. The results confirm the configurational characteristic of e-mobility policies. The authors identified in particular one configuration that is sufficient for the favorable outcome to occur: policies that have a stronger effect on the total cost of ownership of EV's in conjunction with incentivizing the installation of home chargers or charging points on private parking space in addition to the setting-up of a public charging grid in conjunction with push-factors that de-incentivize the usage of conventional cars lead to favorable results. The findings lead the focus on policy approaches that treat EV adoption in a holistic and dynamic way by properly linking incentives with de-incentives. Regarding the effect of fiscal incentives on EV uptake, the approach lacks precise measurements of the impact that each parameter has on EV sale/registration numbers. Thus, the authors recommend a model that allows for quantifying effects more precisely within a large-n case sample.