Smart energy: Challenges of newness. Legitimacy and business models in the emerging electric commercial vehicle ecosystem

This study explores how firms seek legitimacy with their business models (BMs) in emerging ecosystems. It sheds light on the interdependencies between actors in the ecosystem and how their BMs contribute to seeking legitimacy. The research question framing this inquiry is, “How do firms seek legitimacy with their BMs in the emerging ecosystem?” This study adopts the BM as a tool for analyzing the business ecosystem and addressing its legitimacy challenges. This approach facilitates understanding of how these BMs shape the broader ecosystem, thereby offering a novel view of legitimacy within the ecosystem.

This study employs an exploratory qualitative case study method, focusing on the Electric Commercial Vehicle (ECV) ecosystem in Finland and Sweden. This ecosystem is currently at a critical phase of evolution, making it an ideal subject to study the challenges of seeking legitimacy in an emerging business context.

This research contributes to the academic understanding of emerging ecosystems and the role of BMs within them. It emphasizes the critical role of BMs in seeking legitimacy within the emerging ecosystem, highlighting that firms' actions and strategic choices directly shape their legitimacy. The study proposes the importance of designing alternative BMs, considering various ecosystem facets and stakeholder groups, to enhance firms’ legitimacy in the ecosystem. In addition, this research elucidates that the legitimacy of firms within emerging ecosystems is deeply entwined with the mutual acceptance of their business models by other ecosystem actors. It emphasizes the role of collective actions and collaborative efforts among various ecosystem participants in seeking legitimacy in the emerging ecosystem.