Business model design for Electric Commercial Vehicles (ECVs): An ecosystemic perspective

Transport electrification has been identified as a key factor in reducing CO2 emissions. Nevertheless, integrating electric commercial vehicles (ECVs) in commercial fleets is far below its potential due to many related challenges. Such challenges can be interpreted as opportunities for new business models (BMs). This study aims to explore how freight transport companies who are considering electrifying their fleets can adopt an ecosystemic approach when designing novel BMs. It applies a holistic framework to the ECV ecosystem to identify a wide range of BM solutions that can potentially contribute to designing novel BMs. This paper employs a qualitative empirical case study supported by 26 semi-structured interviews with freight transportation experts in Finland and Sweden. It proposes several BM solutions using two sets of BM design themes and elements. Further, it highlights the complex interplay between design themes by investigating their different combinations. This study also suggests that policymakers should consider the ecosystemic perspective to better understand complex interdependencies between actors in the ECV ecosystem to help them identify barriers, opportunities, and collaborative approaches to facilitate ECV integration.