Virtual user communities contributing to upscaling innovations in transitions: The case of electric vehicles

Toon Meelen,Bernhard Truffer,Tim Schwanen

doi:10.1016/j.eist.2019.01.002

Toon Meelen, Bernhard Truffer + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2019.01.002

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Abstract

Users are increasingly acknowledged as important actors fostering those fundamental socio-technical innovations needed to achieve a sustainable society. In the literature, users have so far been portrayed mostly to play a role in early phases of technology formation. However, more recently users have become important players in the upscaling of various innovations. With the advent of new social media, users may interact effortlessly across large distances, exchange knowledge and so increase their contribution to upscaling. We investigate the new potential of virtual user communities. Conceptually, we build on recent insights from socio-technical transition studies to identify different upscaling dimensions. We conduct an internet ethnography of a large virtual community that formed around the Electric Vehicle (EV). Based on these data, we present virtual community characteristics and core mechanisms of participation in upscaling. We find that the community plays an important and distinctive role in fostering electric vehicle use.

Highlights

IntroductionA main reason for the limited uptake is that, in contrast to conventional products, sustainable innovations represent systemic innovations, which require the building up of an entire support system of actors, networks, infrastructure and institutions, across geographical scales and contexts (Hekkert et al, 2007; Bergek et al, 2008; Geels et al, 2017)
Widespread adoption of sustainable innovations helps to address persistent problems such as global climate change, local air and water pollution, and fossil fuel dependence
Following increased debate in recent years over the role of users in sustainability transitions (Schot et al, 2016), as well as the virtual nature of user communities (Grabher and Ibert, 2013; Hyysalo et al, 2013a; Hyysalo et al, 2018), this paper set out to explore the role of the virtual user community in the upscaling of systemic innovations

Summary

Introduction

A main reason for the limited uptake is that, in contrast to conventional products, sustainable innovations represent systemic innovations, which require the building up of an entire support system of actors, networks, infrastructure and institutions, across geographical scales and contexts (Hekkert et al, 2007; Bergek et al, 2008; Geels et al, 2017). In the early development phases, their contributions could span the creation of new supply structures, the shaping of specific technology characteristics, the development of new use patterns and preferences of prospective users, and the shaping of the social image of specific use forms Beyond these early formation phases, user communities typically encounter a number of inherent limitations (Truffer, 2003; Hossain, 2016). Strong ties to a specific local milieu often limit scaling

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