Transition and Transformation in Electric Mobility

Decarbonizing transport is essential for meeting European and German climate targets. This dissertation investigates how narratives, policy frameworks, and actor perspectives jointly shape the transition to e- mobility, with a regional focus on Lower Saxony. Adopting lenses from socio-technical transition research and the literature on socio-ecological transformation and resilience, the study pursues three objectives: (1) analyse how narratives mediate socio-technical change in the context of electric mobility; (2) examine the policy mix and governance arrangements for e-mobility in Germany and explore how actors interpret barriers and enablers, with particular attention to the regional context of Lower Saxony; and (3) investigate how leading scholars conceptualize agency, governance, and resilience in sustainability change, thereby clarifying distinctions between transition and transformation. Across these objectives, the thesis applies qualitative interview research to understand how sustainability change is interpreted, governed, and experienced across analytical levels. Empirically, the research draws on two sets of expert interviews (regional actors and leading scholars) combined with a systematic policy review. Analytical methods include narrative analysis, policy review, and a two-phase inductive/structured content analysis. Findings from the first data set show that charging infrastructure and institutional coordination consistently emerged as central concerns across actor groups; fragmented responsibilities and limited institutional capacities hinder effective implementation. Narratives and meta-narratives vary in alignment with governance objectives, affecting perceived legitimacy and momentum. Findings from the supplementary dataset (expert scholars' reflections) demonstrate how conceptual ambiguities between 'transition' and 'transformation', and their links to conceptualizations of agency, governance and resilience, can obscure strategic direction if misinterpreted. Overall, the dissertation argues for a governance-centred approach that aligns policy instruments with situated narratives and builds systemic capacities including the perspectives of central actors. The integrated, actor-centred perspective offers practical insights for policy design and contributes to debates on how to connect socio-technical and socio-ecological understandings of sustainability change.