Between stability and change: Tensions in the Norwegian electric mobility transition

Abstract

Norway, where a majority of new cars sold are currently electric, has emerged as a rich location for studying transitions towards electric mobility. Such transitions have often been conceptualized through a Multi-Level Perspective (MLP), which generally designates the technology as a disruptive niche with potential to upend the obdurate and problematic automobilty regime. Drawing upon Actor-Network Theory (ANT), this article re-examines this designation and provides nuance to theories of sustainable transition. This change in perspective enable us to re-centre user practices and investigate how electric vehicle drivers operate within complex human/non-human networks. Rather than viewing stability and change as the result of interactions between pre-determined levels, ANT allows us to explore how stability and change is co-produced in a multitude of locations. Drawing upon qualitative interview data, the article finds that new configurations of users and technology are currently emerging, elucidating dynamics of sociotechnical change, while cultural and geographical barriers to more radical mobility shifts are equally pronounced. As such, electric mobility currently finds itself between reinforcing the automobility system, while also engendering exciting new associations between drivers, cars and the world outside the windshield.