Multi-level governance and modal thinking: Tensions in electric mobility transitions in European cities

Innovations around electric vehicle (EV) technology are viewed as a promising pathway to rapidly decarbonise transport systems in transition studies. However, the mobility histories and path dependencies that shape these transitions are spatially uneven both horizontally across different geographies and vertically between different scales of authority and responsibility. As such, they are rooted in the assumptions and power relations that underlay the policy processes of city and metropolitan governance. This study takes the novel approach of comparing these processes both horizontally between cities and vertically between levels of government. The analysis is based on 50 expert interviews with local and national actors involved in delivering policy related to electric mobility in four European cities: Bristol, United Kingdom; Oslo, Norway; Poznań, Poland, and Utrecht, Netherlands. In all four cities, national, inter- and supra-national pressures generate a perception among some interviewees that the transition to electric mobility, and particularly the electrification of private cars, is inevitable. Yet because modal thinking permeates urban transport policymaking, the majority of our experts define sustainable and just urban mobility as that involving modes other than the private car. A key contribution of this study is revealing this tension between national EV priorities and urban aims to reduce car traffic, which subconsciously influences local policymakers’ perceptions of the transition to electric mobility. The study also offers new insights into how city and metropolitan policymakers can be more inclusive, innovative, and locally-responsive in shaping policies for accommodating both EVs and new modes like e-scooters.