- Research Associate in Innovation and Mobility
- Email: toon.meelen@ouce.ox.ac.uk
About
Toon joined the Transport Studies Unit in October 2018 as a Research Associate. He works on the Vehicle-to-Grid Oxford (V2GO) and Park and Charge projects. His research broadly concerns transitions to a more sustainable mobility system.
In his PhD dissertation (Utrecht University, 2019), Toon examined the role of users in upscaling sustainable innovations, for the cases of car-sharing and electric vehicles. He holds a bachelor and master degree (cum laude) in Science and Innovation Management from Utrecht University.
Current Research
In the Vehicle-to-Grid Oxford (V2GO) project, Toon mainly studies the implementation of electric vehicles and vehicle-to-Grid in the daily practices of fleet managers. In the Park and Charge project, the idle capacity of car parks is employed to provide households without sufficient parking a place to charge electric vehicles.
Overall, Toon's research can be situated between the fields of Sustainability Transitions and Geography. It blends various theoretical strands and methodologies and centers around the following themes:
- The diffusion of sustainable innovations
- Synergies and tensions between addressing economic inequalities and environmental problems in mobility transitions
- The roles of users in various phases of transitions to sustainability
Teaching
Prior to joining TSU, Toon has taught on various courses related to innovation and sustainability at Utrecht University. Here he was also involved in the supervision of bachelor and master theses.
Outreach
In his current research projects Toon collaborates with public and private sector organizations. He has participated in policy workshops at the national and local level in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands (eg on car-sharing and electric vehicle introduction). Toon has written about his research in newspaper articles, on blogs and has spoken about his sharing economy research at a festival.
Publications
Journal Articles
- Hopkins, D., Kester, J., Meelen, T. and Schwanen, T. (2020) Not more but different: A comment on the transitions research agenda. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 34: 4-6.
- Meelen, T. and Doody, B. (2020) Exploring the adoption potential of electric vehicles and vehicle-to-grid in fleets. Oxford Energy Forum, 122.
- Meelen, T., Frenken, K. and Hobrink, S. (2019) Weak spots for car-sharing in the Netherlands? The geography of socio-technical regimes and the adoption of niche innovations. Energy Research and Social Science, 52: 132-143.
- Meelen, T., Truffer, B. and Schwanen, T. (2019) Virtual user communities contributing to upscaling innovations in transitions: The case of electric vehicles. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 31: 96-109.
- van der Kam, M.J., Meelen, T., van Sark, W.G.J.H.M. and Alkermade, F. (2018) Diffusion of solar photovoltaic systems and electric vehicles among Dutch consumers: Implications for the energy transition. Energy Research and Social Science, 46: 68-85.
- Böcker, L. and Meelen, T. (2017) Sharing for people, planet or profit? Analysing motivations for intended sharing economy participation. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 23: 28-39.
- Meelen, T., Herrmann, A.M. and Faber, J. (2017) Disentangling patterns of economic, technological and innovative specialization of Western economies: An assessment of the Varieties-of-Capitalism theory on comparative institutional advantages. Research Policy, 46(3): 667-677.
- Meelen, T. and Farla, J. (2013) Towards an integrated framework for analysing sustainable innovation policy. Technology Analysis and Strategic Management, 25(8): 957-970.
Public Engagement
- K. Frenken, T. Meelen, M. Arets and P. Van de Glind (2015) Smarter Regulation for the Sharing Economy, The Guardian (May 20).