Which role should the electric car play in Europe's cities? An analysis of publicly funded demonstration projects 2007-2013

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The current European car market suffers from a paradox. Despite considerable public investments in electric vehicle (EV) development and demonstration, no mass market is visible yet. Many European Governments struggle to fulfil their national objectives set for 2020. One reason is that there are no clear patterns of how EVs will be used. This paper explores the assumption that where 'demand-pull' is lacking, publicly funded demonstration projects play a major role in shaping EV use and acceptance. Based on a first explorative study, this paper compares all EV projects co-funded by the European Union between 2007 and 2012. The results show that most projects 'think' the electric car as a rather conventional idea of 'automobility' as private use of cars and logistics. Few demonstration projects have created alternative mobility patterns such as e-car-sharing or intermodal integration with public transport and bikes in cities. Copyright © 2016 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.