Socio-technical and spatial dynamics of the electric vehicle transition: The case of Ankara

Date

2026-1-01

Author

Kahraman, Aslıhan

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The vast majority of carbon emissions are still caused by the excessive fossil fuel consumption. Road transportation has an important share in overall GHG emissions with its strong reliance on fossil fuels. Considering the accelerating impacts of climate change, the transport sector is expected to achieve a substantial reduction in emissions by 2030 in order to align with the requirements of the Net Zero Scenario. Within this context, electrification of the sector is stated among the major strategies to reduce global oil consumption and sector-related emissions. The thesis explores the ongoing electric-vehicle (EV) transition from a socio-technical systems perspective. It investigates the socio-technical configuration of involving actors, their interactions, system dynamics and governance by utilizing the Multi-Level-Perspective (MLP) and socio-technical configuration analysis methods. Following, the thesis analyzes the spatial dynamics of the EV charging network development in Ankara as an emerging urban infrastructure. The thesis adopts a mix-method approach comprising of qualitative and spatial analysis. The qualitative research part –based on in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, including regulatory and governing public authorities, private sector based infrastructure providers, and EV users- reveals that ongoing EV transition involves institutional misalignments, gaps in the legislative and regulatory frameworks, and strong dependency on spatial dynamics. The spatial analysis focusing on the charging network in Ankara shows that socio-economic parameters play a role in the spatial clustering of the charging infrastructure which is also supported by the interviews. Finally, the study offers strategies on how cities may adopt to ongoing transitions to electric vehicles.

Subject Keywords

Electric vehicles, Socio-technical transitions, Socio-technical systems, Multi-level perspective, Charging infrastructure

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/118678

Collections

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis