Low Carbon Mobility Research Articles

Exploring the effect of government incentives on electric vehicle purchase intention in smart cities

The use of electric vehicles is gaining momentum throughout the world. Low-carbon mobility is a core area of focus for sustainable transportation in smart cities. Policy makers and governments in many countries are incentivizing the manufacture, sale, and purchase of low carbon-emitting vehicles such as electric vehicles. Not many studies have focused on the usage of electric vehicles in smart cities from the perspectives of customer behavior and government incentive. Therefore, the aim of this study is to understand how the moderator government incentives influence potential customers' intention to purchase electric vehicles for smart mobility in smart cities. With the help of the theory of planned behavior and various literature, a theoretical model has been developed which is later validated using CB-SEM technique considering responses from 415 potential customers of electric vehicles. This study has demonstrated that subjective norms and personal norms supported by users’ attitude and behavioral control to use EVs could impact on the purchase intention of electric vehicles with active support of the government incentives. This study has proposed a pragmatic framework helpful for the policymakers to motivate the potential purchasers of the smart cities to purchase EVs.

Optimizing shared bike systems for economic gain: Integrating land use and retail

This study explores the optimization of shared-bike station locations, emphasizing the cycling role in low-carbon mobility and local economic revitalization. A unique aspect of this research is the incorporation of the retail activity index in determining station locations, land-use mix, transit proximity, and population and employment densities. A novel weighting method, combining the multi-criteria decision method “Criteria Importance Through Inter-criteria Correlation (CRITIC)” with Ensemble-based predictive algorithms (Random Forest, XGBoost, Gradient Boosting), was developed to evaluate these factors. Using a geographic information system-based spatial model, this study conducted a suitability analysis by applying these weights to assess and propose bike station sites. The findings from the Seoul case indicate a balanced land-use mix, a low number of transactions linked to cyclists, and a significant gap in multimodal transport integration. The weighting results revealed a high priority for transit proximity and retail activity in station placement. Suitability scores across districts revealed significant variability, suggesting the need for greater integration of cycling policies into urban planning. High-scoring districts, such as Gangnam-gu and Seocho-gu, offer insights for improvements in less suitable areas. This study advocates expanded cycling planning, focusing on enhancing access to public transit and retail areas.

Well‐to‐wheels analysis of greenhouse gas emissions for passenger vehicles in Middle East and North Africa

AbstractBattery electric vehicles (BEVs) are widely considered a pathway to achieve low carbon mobility. BEVs emit zero emissions from the tailpipe, but their life cycle carbon reduction compared to gasoline vehicles varies based on primary energy sources, electricity generation, and use efficiency. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is an area rich in fossil fuels, meriting a detailed comparison between the emissions from BEV and other powertrains. We developed a MENA‐specific life cycle model that estimates well‐to‐wheel (WTW) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from passenger transport with internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug‐in hybrid electric vehicles, and BEVs. MENA's average WTW GHG emissions for all supply chain steps including combustion emissions from vehicle operation are 767 g/kWh and 84 g CO2eq/MJ for electricity and gasoline, respectively, but are highly variable due to heterogeneity in upstream supply chains. The use of hybrid gasoline ICEVs provides the largest emission reduction opportunity for existing vehicle fleets in 9 of the 16 MENA countries. For these nine countries, replacing gasoline ICEVs with HEVs could, on average, reduce country‐level life cycle GHG emissions by 47%. There is a similar emission reduction opportunity for 14 of the 16 MENA countries when normalizing vehicle efficiencies irrespective of the powertrain shares and other trends in existing vehicle fleets. Future scenario analysis shows that BEVs would have the lowest WTW GHG emissions among all powertrains in most MENA countries only if significantly reduced electricity transmission losses and cleaner grid mix are realized, although a high cost of infrastructure developments is expected.

Including SDGs in low-carbon transport scenarios: A case of Udaipur

<p>Transportation is fundamental to shaping urban form and quality of life. The transport sector contributes to a quarter of global GHG emissions. It is integral to countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to mitigate global warming or control warming beyond 2 ℃ or 1.5 ℃ above the pre-industrial level. Climate change mitigation in the transport sector demands a tailored approach for cities of the global south—recently urbanizing with increased dependence on motorization—incorporating social aspects of sustainability. The study examines the delivery of climate change mitigation and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in Udaipur’s passenger transport sector through six SDGs. Over and above the business-as-usual scenario, the two scenarios presented are the technology scenario, which recalibrates Udaipur’s available low-carbon mobility plan, and the SDG scenario, which addresses social transformations by applying assumptions derived from the primary survey in the city. The socially sensitive SDG scenario prioritizes the mobility demands of those with low or no mobility. It also enhances mobility by retaining the share of non-motorized transport (NMT), intermediate public transport (IPT), and public transport (PT) and regulating excessive use of private motorized vehicles. However, the SDG scenario causes a 26% increase in the vehicle kilometer traveled (VKT), a 24% increase in CO<sub>2</sub> emissions, and a 29% decrease in other GHG emissions over the Technology Scenario.</p>

The politics of non-knowing, smart technology and just mobility transitions: A case study and research agenda

Recent mobility scholarship suggests that in adopting a holistic perspective on just transitions towards low-carbon mobility, scholars should attend to the role of knowledge production and the exclusions it enacts. However, this call has yet to be realised, for analytical tools and empirical studies are scarce. In this article, I fill these gaps, arguing that it is crucial to focus on the ‘politics of non-knowing’: contested understandings of what is unknown and what should and can be known. Drawing on the case study of the datafication of cycling in four European cities, I lay bare car-centrism’s epistemic effects, including a lack of data on cyclists, vehicle-centred understandings of knowledge and the instrumentalisation of non-knowing in political debate around cycling. I also examine the role of smart technology in these discussions. In closing, I propose a research agenda on the politics of non-knowing in just mobility transitions.

Pushing low-carbon mobility: a survey experiment on the public acceptance of disruptive policy packages

ABSTRACT Disruptive policy packages that fundamentally change the current unsustainable passenger transport structures and enable low-carbon mobility transformation are inevitable. This implies the use of more stringent and multiple restrictive (i.e. push) measures. To enable successful implementation, public acceptance is critical, but what drives this acceptance? In this study, two main hypotheses were tested using survey methods that combined a two-group framing with a conjoint experiment: (1) The acceptance of push measures decreases as disruption increases; (2) disruptive push measures are less likely to be rejected when communicated as part of a policy package that included complementary pull measures (i.e. incentives). We conducted this survey with a quota-representative sample of 1,032 respondents from Austria. Two main findings emerge: First, we find low public acceptance of push measures, but observe differences based on the level of disruption (i.e. the measures’ intensity or rapidity of implementation). The more disruptive the measure (e.g. a registration ban for fossil fuel cars or a fuel price increase), the more negatively these measures were evaluated by survey respondents. Second, our results indicate the need to communicate and implement high-impact, more restrictive push measures (e.g. car bans) as part of policy packages that include acceptance-boosting pull measures.

Decoding Private or Commercial Vehicle Ownership Decisions for Low-Carbon Mobility Transitions: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Increase in vehicle ownership (VO) as a result of rapid economic and population growth and its negative environmental effects have gradually become a potential threat to the physical and social environment. A wide range of factors influences the propensity for VO by individuals or firms; however, the existing body of literature lacks a critical review which provides an understanding of their underlying associations and potential implications for policymaking in one holistic frame. To fill this research gap, this study presents a systematic review of factors affecting private and commercial VO using the PRISMA framework (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis). The factors influencing private VO decisions are extracted from the reviewed articles; subsequently, the identified factors are topologically divided into seven categories. The findings show that most studies identified the factors contributing to VO as related to socio-economic, demographic, and built environmental characteristics. A lack of research has been identified for attitudinal, technological, and parking-related variables. It is also concluded that there are gaps in the knowledge base on factors contributing to the commercial VO of a business establishment. Designing informed policy measures based on such factors that can induce a sustainable transition in the mobility sector is important to mitigate transportation-related negative externalities on the environment. The overall review findings offer actionable guidance for low-carbon mobility transition and outline a future research agenda for academic researchers and decision makers. The quantifiable factors revealed in this study are expected to assist policy makers in discouraging VO propensity among individuals or firms.

Strategies and Policy Frameworks for Low Carbon Mobility in Indian Cities

This paper endeavours to illuminate the challenges and issues that need to be addressed to achieve sustainable urban transportation system in Indian cities. This paper will try to trace pattern of urbanization, motorization and their impact on mobility, environment, health and road safety. Further, the paper will explain various efforts taken by government authorities to address the transportation issues and their outcomes. The paper also explains various strategies which if be adopted will ensure low carbon growth of urban areas. Low carbon cities will help in enhancing India's energy security and lower its carbon footprint.

Zooming in and out on everyday mobility practices in a rural, mountainous area of Switzerland

To combat climate change, carbon emissions from everyday mobility must be lowered. This can be achieved by improving vehicle efficiency, shifting to low-carbon modes of transport and avoiding travel. Most of the literature focuses on shifting mobility away from cars, mainly in the context of commuting. However, mobility is embedded deeply in everyday life and is much more complex. This research tries to broaden the scope and not only analyse the mode of transport that people choose but also the purposes that their mobility serves and how this influences their modal choice. Contrary to the dominant literature's emphasis on urban mobility, this study focuses on rural mobility, highlighting its specific challenges. As a case study, the mobility practices of residents of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Entlebuch (UBE) in Switzerland were investigated. Using a social practice approach has proven useful in analysing how individuals shape their everyday mobility. The study ‘zooms in’ on how practices are configured and ‘zooms out’ on the connection between mobility practices and mobility purposes, with the overarching aim to explore the key characteristics and dynamics of rural everyday transport in Switzerland, using the UBE as a case study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed adopting a thematic analysis approach. The results indicate that in the rural context geographical conditions and infrastructure availability exert more influence on how practices are performed than in urban contexts. Also, the time spent on mobility was valued differently depending on the mobility purpose, leading to different modal choices for different mobility purposes. Finally, the results demonstrate that strong social capital within a community can foster low-carbon mobility in three ways: shorter distances travelled for shopping and leisure purposes; a preference for active modes of transport; and self-organised collective transport. These findings highlight the importance of considering mobility practices' embeddedness in everyday life while identifying potentials for shifting to low-carbon modes of transport, as well as avoiding travel in the first place.

Examining the Adoption of Sustainable eMobility-Sharing in Smart Communities: Diffusion of Innovation Theory Perspective

The transport sector is undergoing disruption due to trends such as tightening environmental targets, digitalization, and servitization, contributing to low-carbon mobility and offering citizen-oriented services. As a response, various initiatives, such as electric mobility (eMobility), have emerged that promote sustainable road transport and active mobility in the last few years. However, irrespective of the potential of eMobility, there are still few studies that examine individuals’ intention and adoption of eMobility-sharing services in smart communities. Accordingly, this study aims to develop a model grounded on the Diffusion of Innovation (DoI) theory to investigate the factors that impact individuals’ adoption of eMobility-sharing service and how to improve the adoption of eMobility-sharing service. A mixed-mode methodology was employed; quantitative data from survey questionnaires were used to gather data, and Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) was used to analyze the data. Additionally, qualitative data via interview was collected to demonstrate in ArchiMate modeling language how eMobility-sharing services are practically implemented as a use case study within smart communities. Findings from this study offer a model that focuses on eMobility-sharing adoption from the perspective of smart communities. Additionally, the findings offer a better understanding of how such integrated, multimodal systems fit with the sustainable mobility needs of citizens. More importantly, general recommendations to policymakers and practitioners to increase the uptake of shared eMobility are provided.

Retraction: Pushing low-carbon mobility: a survey experiment on the public acceptance of disruptive policy packages

We, the Authors, Editors and Publisher of Climate Policy, have retracted the following article: Thaller, A., Wicki, M., Fleiß, E., Maier, R., Posch, A. (2023). Pushing low-carbon mobility: A survey experiment on the public acceptance of disruptive policy packages, Climate Policy, 1–13, doi:10.1080/14693062.2023.2182755 After its publication, the authors identified a coding error within the data cleaning file, leading to the incorrect labelling of some attributes for the main analysis of the choice experiment. As this alters the results and conclusions for some of the policies examined (particulady the ICEV registration and use bans, car-free centres, and street redesign policies), the authors alerted the issue to the Editors and Publisher, and all have agreed to retract the article to ensure the integrity of the scholarly record. The authors have been invited to resubmit the corrected version of the article for review and consideration for publication. We have been informed in our decision-making by our editorial policies and the COPE guidelines. We deeply regret this error and sincerely apologize for any confusion it may have caused. We are committed to the highest standards of research and appreciate the understanding of our readers and peers in this matter. The retracted article will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but it will be digitally watermarked on each page as “Retracted”.

Disruption, an opportunity to facilitate long-term modal shift to cycling? Stories, lessons and reflections from the COVID-19 pandemic

The study utilises the ‘natural experiment’ of COVID-19 to explore how disruption affected individuals’ perceptions and experiences of cycling, through semi-structured interviews with eight cycle-shop owners and 30 residents in the Liverpool City Region, UK. It provides an account of the rapidly changing conditions that helped to support greater participation in cycling. Primarily this was due to reduced conflict between cyclists and others for road space. This was supported though less significantly, by the provision of temporary cycling infrastructure as well as diminished competition for individual’s time from alternative leisure activities, which were outlawed through COVID-19-related regulations. By disrupting car-dominated environments, the change in infrastructure and reduction in traffic flows contributed towards reducing the skills and confidence required to begin cycling. Nevertheless, as traffic rebounded to pre-pandemic volumes it was evident that the opportunity offered by disruption failed to be fully realised within the region. Despite this, the period has illustrated the potential for broader participation within cycling, though the paper finds that significant disruption to the infrastructures and traffic flows within the urban environment is required if a long-term modal shift is to occur following the surge in participation in cycling observed during the COVID-19 pandemic. To do so, the paper identifies several interventions that can be implemented to imitate the disruption observed in our study, and in doing so support a transition towards a low-carbon mobility system.

Navigating the razor's edge: Public acceptance of climate policies and the case of transport pricing

Transport pricing (TP) can be a helpful policy instrument for climate action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and foster sustainable mobility. Yet few cities have implemented TP. The main barriers include a lack of public and political acceptance, especially in regions with entrenched socio-technical systems and cultures of automobility. The dominance of automobility can be a reason for TP to be unacceptable to the public and politicians. Yet, policies for low-carbon mobility may ultimately fail if they are designed within automobility. This article considers this tension in transport-pricing policy design, as a subset of broader climate policies. How can public acceptance be secured for TP, both navigating within automobility to gain sufficient public uptake but also beyond automobility towards more transformative climate action? This paper examines the proposed TP policy for Vancouver, Canada. We summarize what has been found to support public and political acceptance of TP in other cities, and then particularly look at Oslo, Norway. Our findings suggest that TP policy-design that parts with an automobility regime—and rather is carried out within a low-carbon paradigm—may confront greater short-term challenges with public acceptance, but will better position such an innovative policy for success on the long-term.

When perceived fairness and acceptance go hand in hand–Drivers of regulatory and economic policies for low-carbon mobility

Restrictive measures are indispensable to achieving sustainable and low-carbon mobility. At the same time, these are often not implemented due to concerns that public support will not materialize; therefore, they are relegated to the background in the debate on policy measures that can be applied to change mobility behavior. In this national study (N = 1,083), we used structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the drivers of and differences between regulatory and economic transport policies. We find that policy-specific beliefs and, in particular, perceived fairness are key drivers of public acceptance. Our results indicate that policies must be perceived as fair, effective, and minimally intrusive for them to be accepted by the public and thus implementable. No major differences were found between the two types of policies examined, namely, regulatory and economic policies. Overall, public acceptance of the proposed measures is low. We discuss these results in terms of the study content and methodology and conclude by describing their implications for transport policy design.

A Systematic Review of the Role of Land Use, Transport, and Energy-Environment Integration in Shaping Sustainable Cities

Land use, transport, and energy-environment integration (LUTEI) is receiving considerable attention as an elaborate approach to improving urban resilience. Research evidence on this multidisciplinary topic tends to be fragmented, hindering constructive analysis of its role in shaping sustainable cities. This paper addresses this by undertaking a holistic systematic review to consolidate diverse perspectives. The analysis of 195 reviewed papers identified four main clusters of knowledge that include methodological approaches, policy instruments, urban design elements, and impacts of interventions. The analysis revealed that a growing body of literature is increasingly focused on improving accessibility planning, transit-oriented development, and policy integration to achieve sustainable and healthy transport as a vital element of resilience in cities. The review found, however, that the integration of environment and energy into land use and transport models is still at a nascent stage of development and has largely been overlooked in traditional LUTI models. This can lead to unreliable assessments of the impacts of low-carbon mobility solutions, emerging green transport technologies, and long-term changes in energy consumption affecting sustainable mobility futures. This paper concludes by connecting LUTEI dimensions to the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDG), outlining future directions to ignite meaningful research on the topic and providing a transparent path for decision-makers to adopt LUTEI-informed planning.

Leading The Low Carbon Transport Revolution

The West Midlands has the potential to lead the world in low carbon mobility technology, but it needs the backing of a clear industrial strategy writes Neil Rami, CEO of the West Midlands Growth Company

Driving Opportunity

The Midlands’ key role in the UK’s push for low carbon mobility is rapidly reshaping skills requirements in the region according to expert analysis from skills body Enginuity

The potential of combining qualitative GIS and map elicitation in daily mobility studies

Mapping daily mobile experiences is a way to counter-map the mainstream status quo in transport planning and thus produce alternate ‘truths’ of mobility. Studies on the microgeographies of daily mobility and situational perspectives on transport can generate crucial knowledge, which might be used by planners and policymakers in facilitating low-carbon mobility transitions. There is great potential for rethinking and exploring new methods and techniques to study the mobile experiences and lived dimensions of mobility interventions. This paper explores the potential of an approach consisting of visualizing user-generated GPS tracks and geolocated photos in GIS and using the output for map elicitation in interviews. The participants are actively involved in the data production by using GPS trackers and taking photos. In turn, map elicitation enables the participants to be actively involved in analyzing the maps in retrospect. Thus, the method presents a bottom-up mapping tool for producing mobile knowledge, which in turn might be implemented in transport planning as a participatory planning support tool. The strengths and challenges of the proposed combination of methods are evaluated by considering (i) its potential at different stages of an idealized research process and (ii) how it can facilitate the production of microgeographical and im|mobile knowledge. This paper focuses on the practical and methodological implications of the proposed method and uses examples from a previously conducted study of an electric bike intervention in Norway to discuss the potential of combining these methods.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Pushing low-carbon mobility: a survey experiment on the public acceptance of disruptive policy packages

We, the Editor[s] and Publisher of Climate Policy, have retracted the following article: We, the authors, Editors and Publisher of the journal Climate Policy, have retracted the following article: Thaller, A., Wicki, M., Fleiß, E., Maier, R., Posch, A. (2023). Pushing low-carbon mobility:A survey experiment on the public acceptance of disruptive policy packages, Climate Policy,' 1–13, doi:10.1080/14693062.2023.2182755 After its publication, we have identified a coding error within the data cleaning file, leading to the incorrect labelling of some attributes for the main analysis of the choice experiment. As this alters the results and conclusions for some of the policies examined (particulady the ICEV registration and use bans, car-free centres, and street redesign policies), the authors alerted the issue to the Editors and Publisher, and all have agreed to retract the article to ensure the integrity of the scholarly record. The authors have been invited to resubmit the correctäd version of the article for review and consideration for publication. We have been informed in our decision-making by our editorial policies and the COPE guidelines. We deeply regret this error and sincerely apologize for any confusion it may have caused. We are committed to the highest standards of research and appreciate the understanding of our readers and peers in this matter. The retracted article will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but it will be digitally watermarked on each page as “Retracted”.

A Social Sciences and Humanities research agenda for transport and mobility in Europe: key themes and 100 research questions

ABSTRACT Transport and mobility systems need to be transformed to meet climate change goals and reduce negative environmental and social effects. Despite EU policies having targeted such problems for more than three decades, transitions have been slow and geographically uneven. For effective change to happen, transport and mobility research needs fresh perspectives and better integration of knowledge from the Social Sciences and Humanities. Based on a Horizon Scanning approach, which allowed for a great deal of openness and variety in scholarly viewpoints, this paper presents a novel research agenda consisting of 8 themes and 100 research questions that may contribute to achieving environmentally sustainable mobility transitions within Europe. This research agenda highlights the need to not only support technological solutions for low-carbon mobility, but the importance of transformative policies that include new processes of knowledge production, civic participation and epistemic justice. We contend that the agenda points to the need for further research on the dynamics of science-society interactions.