Stakeholders interests, expectations, and strategies regarding the development and implementation of electric vehicles: The case of the Netherlands

In this paper, we study the strategies of the most relevant stakeholders with regard to the development and commercialization of electric vehicles (EVs) and their recharging infrastructure. Building on the perspective of socio-technical transitions, we relate the strategies of stakeholders to their current and future interests, as well as to their expectations with regard to EVs. Our analysis is based on a series of 38 semi-structured interviews with representatives of a variety of stakeholders in the Netherlands. EVs pose both opportunities and threats to various stakeholders. They therefore participate in the development of the emerging EV system, primarily in order to learn about the potential positive and negative impacts of these systems on their interests and, ultimately, to be able to grasp the opportunities and mitigate the threats. In other words, the expectations, interests, and resulting strategies of stakeholders relate to and depend upon the specific configuration of the emerging socio-technical system for electric mobility. We identify six potential conflicts of interest: the division of tasks within a public recharging infrastructure; the allocation of charging spots; the ways in which charging behavior can be influenced; the role of fast-charging, technical standards for charging equipment; and supportive policies for full-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. In general, the stakeholders do not seem overly concerned about either short-term returns on investments or long-term negative impacts. In this regard, the early phase of the transition can be understood as a relatively carefree phase. In order to continue the development of the emerging EV system and to keep it on the right track, however, for the foreseeable future, supportive policies will be necessary in order to provide a stable and reliable basis for further market expansion.