Title: Institutionalisation of environmental innovation: joint development of standards, technologies and actor networks in the European heavy duty vehicles sector

Authors: Behbood Borghei; Thomas Magnusson

Addresses: Department of Management and Engineering, Linköping University, SE-581 83, Sweden ' Department of Management and Engineering, Linköping University, SE-581 83, Sweden

Abstract: Emission standard requirements for toxic air pollution (NOx/PMs) from heavy duty vehicles (HDVs) have been sharply reduced over the past few decades. This paper seeks to explain how such significant reduction has taken place in the European HDV sector. Based on the sectoral systems of innovation framework, this paper sheds light on the commercial vehicles sector, one that is often overlooked in existing literature. The analysis suggests that extensive periods of network formation, coordination and negotiation in the early stages of regulatory process enabled consensus, which in turn made it possible to obtain acceptance for technology-forcing requirements at the industry level. This facilitated enactment and implementation of further stringent emissions standards in later phases. It also explains why OEMs did not resist stringent environmental measures in this sector.

Keywords: sectoral systems of innovation; SSI; environmental innovation; technology-forcing regulation; automotive standards; automotive technology; actor networks; Europe; heavy duty vehicles; heavy vehicles; automobile industry; emissions standards; vehicle emissions; institutionalisation; air pollution; commercial vehicles; OEMs.

DOI: 10.1504/IJATM.2016.081614

International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management, 2016 Vol.16 No.4, pp.341 - 364

Received: 11 Nov 2014
Accepted: 28 May 2015
Published online: 18 Jan 2017 *

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