Abstract

Based on original data derived from 257 expert respondents across Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, we investigate the different expectations and visions associated with one form of low carbon transport, electric mobility, inclusive of vehicle-to-grid and vehicle-grid-integration configurations. Utilizing concepts from the sociology of expectation—notably rhetorical visions, ideographs, promise-requirement cycles, and enablers and selectors—we examine how future electric mobility is envisioned. A collection of eight visions is analyzed and then placed into a typology. Some visions see electric mobility as a harbinger of positive social change in terms of ubiquitous automobility or endless innovation, others warn of families literally stranded and freezing to death on mountains and a business landscape marred with insolvent and financially struggling firms. We conclude with insights about what such competing and contradictory visions mean for energy and climate policy as well as sustainability transitions.