Limits of sustainability in electric cars, qualification of goods based on symbolic values

Authors

  • Rodrigo Foresta Wolffenbüttel PhD in Sociology, Researcher, Grupo de Estudos da Inovação (GEI-PPGS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, RS, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3417-563X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18472/SustDeb.v14n3.2023.50477

Keywords:

Market, Valuation, Electric car, Sustainability

Abstract

The value of a good is not something fixed and objectively given but results from social valuation processes in which value is constructed. This process is fundamental for the functioning of markets, as they depend, among other things, on the ability of social actors to evaluate the qualities of goods and compare them in terms of value. In this way, the valuation process considers different criteria that often compete. The significant growth in the sale of electric cars in Brazil points to the formation of a market niche, with consumers willing to invest in new propulsion technologies, which, in theory, are more sustainable than conventional cars. From this context, the research seeks to investigate, through interviews with owners, the role of symbolic values in qualifying "sustainable" goods, such as electric cars. Data analysis points to the mobilisation of functional and symbolic values, although imaginatively appropriate, as fundamental criteria for the acquisition of cars.

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Author Biography

Rodrigo Foresta Wolffenbüttel, PhD in Sociology, Researcher, Grupo de Estudos da Inovação (GEI-PPGS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, RS, Brazil

PhD in Sociology (2020) and Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences from the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (2012) and Affiliated Professor at the Universidade Aberta do Brasil (UAB). Experience in Economic Sociology, especially on the following subjects: regional development, markets, innovation, mobility, distance education and sustainability.

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Published

2023-12-11

How to Cite

Wolffenbüttel, R. F. (2023). Limits of sustainability in electric cars, qualification of goods based on symbolic values. Sustainability in Debate, 14(3), 181–206. https://doi.org/10.18472/SustDeb.v14n3.2023.50477

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 3 (2023): Sustainability in Debate / Sustentabilidade em Debate

Section

Dossier

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