Page - (000203) - in Knowledge and Networks

197 Regardless of how important FCEs are considered to be for platforming, struc- tures beyond the particular event are needed. These structures allow agents to refer to them as they strive to influence the development of a regional knowledge base, be it at the field, cluster/network, or organizational level (Giddens, 1984). By referring to these rules and resources in practice, agents reproduce or transform these struc- tures, helping others make sense of related variety to establish common ground for their potentially diverse interests. This solid foundation can, in turn, facilitate future collaboration and coordinated action with a comparatively long-term perspective in order to build momentum in and beyond the FCEs. Studying Electromobility Initiatives in the Metropolitan Regions of Berlin and Stuttgart Industrial and political actors recently discovered, or rather rediscovered, electro- mobility as a promising future technology for urban mobility. In a narrow sense, on which we focus in this chapter, this term coined politically by the German federal government refers only to BEVs, range-extended electric vehicles (REEVs), and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs). It is believed that these three constituent technologies will spread at least in urban areas and thereby contribute to the reduction of carbon dioxide once an adequate regional battery-charging infrastructure is provided (German Federal Government, 2009, pp. 5–7). We begin by explaining our research design and methods and presenting our empirical insights into policy-making at both the federal and state levels in Germany. Focusing for obvious reasons exclusively on the early stages of these processes, we point out the importance of agenda-setting at the federal level before the implemen- tation of the NPE. Then we look into how the creation of the NPE triggered a pro- cess of path-formation at both levels. The chapter concludes with an investigation mainly of the NPE’s regional effects. Although the German NPE is primarily the outcome of federal policies, it has had a strong regional focus from the outset. This aspect is important in face of the regional battery-charging infrastructure necessary for electromobility. Even more important, as we show, is the fact that the NPE pro- vided significant economic incentives for industries and regional politicians to join the platforming initiative. Whereas the involved industries mainly sought to decrease their technological uncertainty before engaging in serious research and develop- ment (R&D), the politicians welcomed the central government’s offer of subsidies for platforming initiatives, including regional ones, to promote regional economic development in the emerging field of electromobility. 10 Platforming for Path-Breaking