Leveraging user-based innovation in vehicle-to-X and vehicle-to-grid adoption: A Nordic case study

While vehicle-to-grid technology could provide substantial benefits to consumers and society, its adoption has been confined to a niche and relatively stagnant. In this article, we study the role of userbased innovations in increasing the acceptance and adoption of niche technologies such as vehicle-togrid. To do so, we connect three interrelated concepts-tinkering, testing and tacit knowledge-and then theorize how they interact in three theories-diffusion of innovation, social construction of technology, and the multi-level perspective. Drawing from a rich set of original data, we then apply the theorization of user-based innovation to the adoption of vehicle-to-grid in the Nordic region, by focusing on how users can influence an emerging state-of-the-art innovation, vehicle-to-X. We find that the three concepts of tinkering, testing, and tacit knowledge should be encouraged in order to accelerate and stabilize the adoption of vehicle-to-grid. We conclude the study by examining how the theorization of tinkering may benefit the understanding of other technologies' diffusion pathways and recommend directions for future research. (c) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.