Public coordination for escaping from technological lock-in: its possibilities and limits in replacing diesel vehicles with compressed natural gas vehicles in Tokyo

This paper analyzes a recent attempt by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to replace diesel vehicles with low-emission vehicles, particularly, compressed natural gas vehicles. As commonly observed in the transportation sector, when strong complementarities among the components of a complex technological system exist, a failure in coordination results to a state of technological lock-in. In this respect, the public sector can serve a focal role in coordination to promote new technologies. The Tokyo experience illustrates the potentials and limitations in overcoming a state of technological lock-in by effective management of the behaviors and expectations of the relevant actors involved in using, producing, and supporting alternative clean vehicles. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.