Sustainable Mobility Scenarios in Southern Switzerland: Insights from Early Adopters of Electric Vehicles and Mainstream Consumers

The transition towards electric mobility is increasingly acknowledged as one of the most beneficial strategies for the reduction of air pollution and noise in urban areas, for climate protection at the worldwide level and for direct integration with smart electric grids. Moreover, it may act as a leverage to promote a wider transition towards more sustainable mobility patterns. The authors investigated this phenomenon in the e-mobiliTI living lab, a socio-technical learning process held in Southern Switzerland between 2012 and 2015. The authors involved eleven early adopters of electric vehicles and sixteen mainstream consumers, all living in the Lugano area, which is the main urban conurbation of the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. In Spring 2013 a first three-months smartphone-based monitoring phase allowed the authors to identify their reference mobility patterns. In Spring 2014, during a second three-months monitoring phase, they experienced new mobility options (electric cars and bicycles, public transport season tickets and car and bike-sharing subscriptions) in their complex, real-world settings. Results gathered show high potential for substitution between conventional and electric cars, even if range autonomy and investment costs are still significant barriers. Nevertheless, the supposed wider transformation of mobility patterns did not occur and the car maintained its dominance. The e-mobiliTI living lab experiment allowed the collection of bottom-up, user-centered perceptions on the strengths and weaknesses of the mobility options being tested. This process allowed the authors to highlight the reasons for the lack of attractiveness of the means of transport other than the (private) car and to outline scenarios and policy recommendations for local and regional authorities.