The preliminary study comprises one Swedish and one Norwegian sub-study of national transport and environmental policy with a bearing on the adoption of electric cars, plus R&D policy linked to this vehicle technology. The preliminary study is based on analysis of public documents, and in the Norwegian study also on analysis of previous studies and data produced at the Institute of Transport Economics (TØI).

The Swedish study has applied textual analysis to highlight perspectives and principles for policy formulation, as well as criteria for assessing and selecting priorities with a bearing on the question of accelerated electric car adoption. The Norwegian study has taken a historical and contextual perspective in highlighting how the Norwegian policy focus has taken shape and which contributors, networks and alliances have been central to the political process. Both these sub-studies have, in various ways, used and referred to international research and theorising on the adoption of green technology innovations in the analyses that have been conducted.