The vehicle-to-grid (V2G) innovation—which enables electric vehicles to return stored electricity to the grid—holds significant potential to support renewable energy integration and electric vehicle adoption. Despite growing interest in V2G, there is still limited understanding of user preferences and the factors influencing decision-making. To explore this, we conducted a stated intention study with 1018 participants, examining their likelihood of participating, and their primary drivers and barriers. Our analysis—using a random parameters order probit model and mixed logit models—revealed that most respondents were likely to participate (42%) or remained neutral (32%). Financial incentives were the primary driver (49%), followed by electricity grid-stability (26%) and environmental (25%) factors. The main barrier for most was loss of flexibility (55%), followed by battery degradation (27%) and data concerns (18%). The study highlights how user characteristics—including socio-demographic, household, car use, and attitude factors—influence these preferences. Finally, we provide policy recommendations, including targeted education and communication, income-based incentives, accessible charging infrastructure, and a regulatory framework supportive to technology development and user protections.

Hydrogen is considered a promising energy carrier that can potentially contribute to low-carbon energy systems and achieving climate goals. Its introduction, however, is complex, involving multiple emerging niches and developments across various sociotechnical systems. Despite its significance, the multi-system nature of hydrogen has received limited attention in sustainability transition scholarship. This paper addresses this knowledge gap by examining the emerging hydrogen transition in the Netherlands from a multi-system sociotechnical perspective. To achieve this, we adopted a framework that considers multiple niches and sociotechnical systems in parallel, using Event Sequence Analysis (ESA). The analysis provides a systematic reconstruction of (niche-)processes as networks of events for analysing hydrogen niche formation from 2001 to 2020 across four sociotechnical systems: industry, electricity, transport, and the built environment. The results reveal that, despite positive discourse and ambitious plans, investments and implementation remained limited. We provide possible explanations for this progress through a multi-system lens.

This paper systematically reviews the literature on sociotechnical multi-system innovation frameworks that broaden the usual focus on one sociotechnical system to encompass influences from multiple systems. The review includes 75 peer-reviewed papers that span a broad range of energy-demanding systems and mainly build upon the core frameworks of the Multi-level Perspective (MLP) and Technological Innovation Systems (TIS). The analysis identifies three key aspects to consider in multi-system frameworks. The first aspect is the importance of considering the overarching directionality of multiple sociotechnical systems and how they influence each other. The second is to explicitly analyse the phase of each transitioning system. The third aspect is a need for explicit system configuration analysis. This includes analysing the value chain and the number and types of sectors linked to it, typifying the distinct characteristics of sectors internally and how they interact, and analysing complementary or competitive technologies. The paper concludes by providing recommendations for future research, with a particular focus on the further development of new multi-system frameworks that include one or more of the prior-mentioned three key takeaways. Firstly, focusing on dynamics within multi-system niches. Secondly, performing actor-level analysis, including demand-side analysis. Finally, applying quantitative methods, such as computer simulation modelling.