Pieces of a jigsaw: Opportunities and challenges in the nascent Australian hydrogen mobility market
Stefan Lodewyckx, Kim Beasy, Pauliina Mattila
Abstract
Mobility has been a prominent target for proponents of the hydrogen economy. Given the complexities involved in the mobility value chain, actors hoping to participate in this nascent market must overcome a range of challenges relating to the availability of vehicles, the co-procurement of supporting infrastructure, a favourable regulatory environment, and a supportive community, among others. In this paper, we present a state-of-play account of the nascent hydrogen mobility market in Victoria, Australia drawing on data from a workshop (N = 15) and follow-up interviews (n = 10). We interpret findings through a socio-technical framework to understand the ways in which fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs)—and hydrogen technologies more generally—are conceptualised by different stakeholder groups, and how these conceptualisations mediate engagement in this unfolding market. Findings reveal prevailing efforts to make sense of the FCEV market during a period of considerable institutional ambiguity. Discourses embed particular worldviews of FCEV technologies themselves, in addition to the envisioned roles the resultant products and services will play in broader environmental and energy transition narratives. Efforts to bring together stakeholders representing different areas of the FCEV market should be seen as important enablers of success for market participants.