This thesis examines the regulation of innovation and sociotechnical transitions within the European automotive sector, as they relate to energy-efficient innovations (EEI) in the aftermath of the 2008 global economic crisis. Energy-efficient innovation is a technological solution, which offers a way to decouple mobility from harmful greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and has become a key problem-solving framework. These innovations also require stringent regulations and market-based incentives to influence automakers and other production firms to develop cleaner vehicles and technologies. This thesis format is one that incorporates publishable papers, and as such, covers the following four subject areas within the automotive industry:
• The challenges of regulating EU automotive emissions.
• The link between motorsport and ‘low-carbon’ innovations in passenger cars.
• A theoretical argument for established automakers as ‘radical’ innovators.
• The early disruptive effects of connected and autonomous vehicles (AVs).
This research seeks to contribute to a deeper understanding of sustainable sociotechnical transitions, through the examination of government interventions via policy instruments, meant to incentivize R&D within private firms, and result society’s adoption of new technologies. This thesis also seeks to better explain the dynamics of disruptive innovation, and its impact on society and the economy. Understanding the processes of sociotechnical change at the sectoral level not only enables better policy design and policy outcomes, but also facilitates more accurate assessments when evaluating the implications of future sociotechnical transitions. The findings in this thesis are also timely, as they provide future researchers with additional resources to consider, as the global automotive industry prepares once more to undergo several significant transformations.
