ABSTRACT
Due to the transportation sector’s dependence on fossil fuel energy sources and the monumental negative consequences in terms of climate change, air pollution, and other social impacts, countless researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders view a widespread transition to electric mobility as both feasible and socially desirable. One potentially fruitful innovation within electric mobility has been vehicle-to-grid (V2G) and vehicle-grid-integration (VGI). In this chapter, I ask: How is V2G and electric mobility being discussed, envisioned, and promoted by experts in the Nordic region? To provide an answer, the chapter draws on 257 research interviews with experts across Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. The chapter presents and analyses eight distinct visions: four positive visions of “the rapid electric society,” “ubiquitous and clean automobility,” “innovation nirvana,” and “energy autarky” are contrasted with four negative visions of “hacked grids,” “frozen families,” “broken businesses,” and “captive consumers.” It discusses tensions and synergies between these visions as well as places them into a typology. The chapter is the first to focus on utopian and dystopian expectations applied to low-carbon mobility, based on a novel and original dataset.
