ERA-NET: Inclusive Transition towards Electric Mobility
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Oxford
Department Name: Geography - SoGE
Abstract
European cities' attempts to accelerate the electric mobility (EM) transition are generating environmental benefits and enhancing economic viability. Unclear is how socially just these attempts and their outcomes are in terms of who benefits (distribution), whose needs are considered (recognition), and who gets to decide and how (procedure). The proposed research will advance inclusive EM transitions on the urban scale through a dual perspective on households and urban policy. It will examine inequalities in households' EM-related needs, capabilities, decision-making, accessibility and everyday mobility. It will also analyse how and to what extent EM policies and governance take the aforementioned distribution, procedure and recognition dimensions into account. It will finally co-produce understandings of how urban and transport planning regarding sustainability and accessibility can be strengthened through inclusive EM transition processes. In close collaboration with policymakers and mobility service providers, the project will consider shared and owned/leased electric cars, E-bikes and E-scooters, comparing transition processes in Oslo, Utrecht, Bristol and Poznan. Ultimately, the project aims to bring about a shift in how EM policies and services at the urban scale are developed, implemented and delivered, so that urban EM transition pathways are not only accelerated but also become as inclusive as possible.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Tim Schwanen (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Schwanen T
(2021)
Achieving just transitions to low-carbon urban mobility
in Nature Energy
| Description | To date, most of the work of the Oxford researchers within the international consortium project 'Inclusive Transition towards Electric Mobility' (ITEM) has concentrated on how questions of mobility justice are being considered and addressed through multi-scalar (at national, regional and local levels) policy processes. A first set of outcomes revolves around the conceptualisations of mobility justice and just mobility transitions in the context of urban transitions towards electric mobility. A plural, contextual and multidimensional notion of mobility justice has been proposed, considering distributive justice (the distribution of costs and benefits of certain type of action and intervention, including government policy), procedural justice (the nature, inclusivity and power relations in decision-making and governance), recognition justice (the recognition of needs, concerns, desires, and practices of diverse populations and specific groups and individuals in regards to decision-making and governance) and epistemic justice (the extent and ways in which different individuals and groups are able to make their voices made in knowledge production processes, and the capacities of those processes to adequately respond to those voices). This conceptualisation was published in a paper in Nature Energy in 2021, and has informed subsequent empirical analysis. The Oxford researchers are leading an analysis process of policy documents and interviews with relevant professionals (e.g. policy-makers, mobility service providers, academics, community organisations) about the ways in which multi-scalar policy and governance processes centred on the four cities of interest -- Oslo (very high uptake of electric vehicles), Utrecht (relatively high uptake of electric vehicles and other forms of electric mobility), Bristol (relatively low uptake of electric mobility, including private vehicles), and Poznan (very low uptake of electric mobility, including personal vehicles) -- are contributing to just transitions in electric mobility in and around those cities. In all four cities there is both widespread understanding and desire that the transition towards electric urban mobility should be socially inclusive and equitable. This is reflected in recurring themes found in the analysed policy documents and evidenced through, for instance, repeated reference to the need for 'accessibility' and 'affordability', which are relevant to distributional justice. There is also recognition that different social groups in the city (e.g. based n income, gender or age) have diverse needs in terms of mobility, but this is interwoven with discussions of distribution. In other words, groups are highlighted by their lack of accessibility due to disability or location, or by their low incomes which make electric mobility unaffordable. Otherwise urban residents are often aggregated into a generic population of 'people' or 'citizens'. Those populations are at the same time framed and understood as people who (should) respond to formal consultations or are 'engaged' with in other ways, as part of efforts of procedural justice. However, when discussing engagement activities and working groups with policymakers and other stakeholders during interviews, more depth of procedural justice and a greater level of participation is revealed. This suggests more recognition of diverse groups than indicated in the policy documents, and of not only diverse needs, but also diverse experience, values, capabilities, etc. Although this suggests avenues to advance and accelerate a more inclusive transition to electric mobility, interviews have also highlighted inequities in knowledge production and in power relations that affect how local, urban knowledge and recognition of diverse perspectives are prioritised and translated into policy action. This is particularly apparent when considering types of urban mobility beyond electric vehicles and the infrastructure to charge them. However, looking holistically at these different types of urban mobility and at cities at different stages in the transition in terms of uptake and involvement in electric mobility gives greater insight into the potential of a socially just transition and the governance processes which can take account of the multiple dimensions of social justice. |
| Exploitation Route | The analysis is still ongoing and the summary of key findings above can only be seen as preliminary. Nonetheless, there are various ways in the findings are likely to result in impact: 1. in the coming months, workshops in all four cities will be held to identify with stakeholder ways in which policy and governance around electric mobility may contribute not only to greater distributive justice but also -- and especially -- greater procedural, recognition and epistemic justice. This will be done by working with and through specific case studies (e.g. low emission zone policies, e-scooter trials) and through learning from experiences and processes in the other cities being studied 2. later in 2023 and early 2024, the focus will shift to the co-creation with relevant stakeholders of policy packages for each city, where the challenge will be to design a series of interacting policy interventions that together will contribute to greater justice in the electric mobility transition in light of the issues, problematisations and capabilities in each local context. |
| Sectors | Environment,Government, Democracy and Justice,Transport |
| Description | Evidence submission on e-scooters |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://committees.parliament.uk/work/7202/ |
| Description | Business Engagement Seed Fund |
| Amount | £2,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 2204-BEPS-782 |
| Organisation | University of Oxford |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 05/2022 |
| End | 07/2022 |
| Description | OPEN (Oxford Policy Engagement Network) Seed Fund |
| Amount | £2,300 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Oxford |
| Department | Social Sciences Division |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2023 |
| End | 07/2023 |
| Description | Briefing with Felicity Buchan MP |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | In July 2021 the University of Oxford was approached by aides of Felicity Buchan, MP for Kensington and member of the Treasure Select Committee, who introduced a Member's Bill on the provision of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in new buildings. The University put her in touch with Tim Schwanen who briefed her on the importance of institutionalising the provision of charging infrastructure in new developments during the preparation of the speech in parliament in which she put forward the Bill. The Bill was withdrawn at a later stage (October 2021). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/2950#timeline |
| Description | COP26 Roundtable |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Participated in a round table workshop organised by the British Academy on Cities, Clean Mobility and Transport in the lead up to COP26. Attended by academics, research council members, and some industry representatives. As one of two participants asked to start the discussion, I raised questions around the inclusiveness and fairness of the transition to electric mobility, what policy-makers and those involved in delivery should be doing about it, and how electric mobility can be more socially just. These questions and many others were taken up in the 3 hour discussion that followed. Those attendings the sessions have been acknowledged in the production of a briefing note (see url). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/documents/3547/COP26-Cities-Energy-Transitions_GNPgxJw.pdf |
| Description | Distinguished Geography Seminar Series at Department of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Prof Schwanen gave a seminar as part of the Distinguished Geography Seminar Series at the Department of Geography of Hong Kong Baptist University, which was attended by MSc and PhD students, as well as staff members from across Hong Kong universities. The seminar focused on just transitions in urban mobility, and he drew on materials from two ESRC-funded projects: DEPICT and ITEM. In relation to the former he discussed the diversity and efficacy of grassroots innovations in cycling and walking in London and Sao Paulo, and from the latter he took the conceptualisation of transportation justice that informs the project. The 45-minute seminar triggered a range of questions and lively debate, and audience members indicated their understandings of transition processes had changed because of the talk. They had come to appreciate the importance of thinking about justice in relation to transition processes to a greater extent than they had at first. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Event for US alumni of University of Oxford |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In October 2021 Tim Schwanen participated in an online Q&A session organised by the University of Oxford North American Office for alumni in which he spoke about the electric mobility transition and answered a wide range of questions form participants. The talk and answers generated discussions and helped to shift the views and understandings of participants, as they indicated informally during the event (e.g. through feedback in the chat). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROyU4maBD1c |
| Description | Executive Education Course on Global Challenges in Transport (GCT): Infrastructure |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Prof Schwanen pre-recorded lectures drawing on this and other research. Then Prof Schwanen and Dr Budnitz brought together themes from the previous lectures with additional research insights in the closing session. There were two of each session, as the course was run twice, once for a mix of professionals from the UK and around the world, and once for employees of TransJakarta. There were engaged discussions in the live sessions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.tsu.ox.ac.uk/course/#courses |
| Description | Guardian article on electric vehicle plan |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Tim Schwanen was approached by an editor of The Guardian to comment on the UK Government's plans to encourage vehicle manufacturers to produce more zero-emission vehicles through annual mandates in the period 2024-2030, when the ban on internal combustion engine powered cars comes into force. Some of Tim's comments on inequalities in electriic vehicle use were incorporated in the article as published on The Guardian website. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/oct/20/ambitious-uk-plans-for-electric-vehicles-welcomed-w... |
| Description | Lecture to Masters in Sustainable Urban Development students |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | I presented my research during the week-long transport module for this part-time Masters that is run by the Department for Continuing Education. Students are thus mainly professional practitioners in urban development, transport and related areas. There was lively discussion after the lecture and two students have since approached me for advice on methodology and further reference suggestions to inform their dissertation topics that relate to some of the ideas I introduced. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/courses/msc-sustainable-urban-development |
| Description | Lightening talk at Open Access event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | As part of Open Access Week, the theme of which was Climate Justice, participated in lightening talks about my research and how it is related to climate change and uses open research practices and open policymaking. From this, I was asked to speak at a further event this year. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:af461ce8-b645-4ef6-b9b7-ec60ed4efd91 |
| Description | Masterclass at DfT |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Tim Schwanen gave an online master class to staff at the Department for Transport in London and across the country. The title of the presentation of approx 45 minutes, which was followed by Q&A, was "Inequalities in Electric Mobility: Understanding the Dynamics and Options" and covered current patterns of inequality, causes, and actions for local and national government agencies in the UK to address inequalities. Approx 350 individuals attend the session and asked a series of questions. The event led to a range of requests for further information, and a request for a meeting with staff from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OZEV) to discuss the role of Government in supporting an inclusive transition to EVs, and to discuss ways to mitigate risks and evidence gaps. That meeting is scheduled for March 2022. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Meeting with civil servants from the Department for Transport |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Presented on inequality in electric mobility to civil servants in the Department for Transport. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Opinion piece in Polish daily newspaper, Rzeczpospolita, then edited and disseminated through Oxford University News channels in English |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Supported Polish colleagues in writing an opinion piece on Clean Air / Low Emission / Clean Transportation Zones (one type of policy that is included in our research on policy and governance in the ITEM project) and then published an edited version in English for a more local audience. This latter has had some interest and response on Twitter, and the link to the English piece is provided below. The Polish piece can be found at: https://www.rp.pl/opinie-ekonomiczne/art37851351-przywrocmy-centra-miast-mieszkancom |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2023-01-31-expert-comment-lets-bring-city-centres-back-people |
| Description | Panel event on the future of transport in Oxford for Oxford Green Week |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Spoke as part of a panel to an audience of around 80 people, including University staff and students, as well as other local policymakers, politicians and interested parties. Although the focus was on Oxford, in my lightening talk at the beginning and in response to questions from the floor, I was asked to draw on my experience from recent research, including this project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://sdglab.uk/events/the-future-of-transport-in-oxford/ |
| Description | Presentation and Meeting with Treasury Civil Servants |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | A meeting was arranged with civil servants from the UK Treasury to discuss policy priorities for investment in the transition to electric vehicles. The attendees were very engaged, asked many questions, and highlighted that we raised issues that had not previously been considered. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Presentation at AAPT CDS annual conference 2022 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Prof Schwanen was one of the guest speakers at the 2022 Annual Conference of the Advanced Automotive Propulsion Systems Centre for Doctoral Training at the University of Bath, and spoke about challenges, needs and possibilities for just transitions towards electric mobility, with a focus on the UK. He drew on the conceptualisation of transportation justice developed within the ITEM project. The 30-minute seminar triggered a range of questions and lively debate, and audience members indicated their understandings of the transition towards electric vehicles had changed because of the talk. They had come to appreciate the importance of thinking about justice in relation to transition processes to a greater extent than they had at first. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.aaps-cdt.ac.uk/events/aaps-annual-conference-2022 |
| Description | Presentation at DecarboN8 conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | We presented the context of the ITEM project at DecarboN8's conference: Real Zero in a hurry: place-based decarbonisation for transport within a session on Governing a Fair Transition. There was a lot of interest in this topic, and engaged Q&A. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Presentation at University Transport Studies Group annual conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Presented findings from a qualitative analysis of local and national policy documents related to electric mobility in Bristol and took questions and discussed the work with the academic audience, including postgraduates up to professors, all working in transport research. As well as interest in our approach, the presentation also enabled us to gather feedback to inform the development of this work into a full journal submission as well as highlighting further questions to carry into our next stage of research with policymakers and stakeholders. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://utsg.net/wp-content/uploads/UTSG2022-programme-FINAL.pdf |
| Description | Presentation to OZEV |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Tim Schwanen gave an abridged version of the online master class he had previously given to staff at the Department for Transport (January 2022) to staff at the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles in early April 2022. The title of the presentation of approx 30 minutes, which was followed by Q&A, was "Inequalities in Electric Mobility: Understanding the Dynamics and Options" and covered current patterns of inequality, causes, and actions for local and national government agencies in the UK to address inequalities. Approx 25 individuals attend the session and asked a series of questions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Presentation to Urban Development, Energy infrastructure and Sustainable MObility (UDESMO) project workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The workshop brought together scholars and policymakers from the UK and South Korea and working at the intersection of electric vehicles and energy in cities. By focusing on issues of social justice in the transition to electric mobility in cities, the presentation took a different perspective from other research that was presented, generating conversations over the two-day event. A further event is planned in South Korea in 2023. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/research-projects/electric-vehicles-urban-development-and-energy-infrast... |
| Description | Published editorial article for European think tank Italian Institute for International Political Studies |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Wrote article on the importance of considering social justice in the transition to electric mobility. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.ispionline.it/en/publication/overlooked-social-justice-issues-automotive-electrification... |
| Description | Stakeholder workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | We held a workshop attended by 11 stakeholders from the public, private and third sectors representing local, regional, and national organisations with an interest in sustainable and electric mobility in Bristol, UK. We discussed our research project, the themes of justice and policy-making for electric mobility and what their involvement and aspirations in the area were. The engagement at the event was high, we had quite positive feedback, and the stakeholders expressed an interest in participating further in the project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | http://www.itemresearch.org/bristol |
| Description | Video for COP26 True Planet Campaign at university of Oxford |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In the run-up to the COP26 in Glasgow, the University of Oxford created a Countdown to COP video series for which Tim Schwanen wrote the text and recorded a video called "Is the future of transport electric?". The video was distributed through the University's stakeholder networks (including via social media) and played on screens during the COP meeting in both Oxford and Glasgow. The video sparked some discussion on Twitter and led to several requests for further information from professionals and media outlets. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WUwceeB79w |
| Description | Wrote editorial for professional magazine, Citti. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Wrote commentary on the importance of considering social justice issues in the transition to electric mobility. Have recently been asked to join the expert judging panel for the magazine's awards for various types of transport projects. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.cittimagazine.co.uk/comment/the-importance-of-going-electric-equitably.html |
| Description | talk at Joju EV seminar |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Prof Schwanen gave a short introduction to equity in electric vehicle infrastructure provision and use during a seminar organised for local authority staff across the UK and Ireland, in which he presented some preliminary findings from the ITEM project. About 40 individuals, mostly from local government but also from industry, attended the presentation, which sparked questions and discussions afterwards. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |