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Although the environmental imperative compels us to search for a low carbon system of mobility, contemporary society seemingly necessitates a low carbon automobility. The costs and impracticalities of low carbon vehicles are well documented, and although the cultural and semiotic nature of the car means that it has always been more than just a means of transport, less is known about how socio-cultural mores regarding the car might impact upon the transition to low carbon motoring. Because cars carry people, then they inevitably carry experiences and meanings too. However, a shift from conventional internal combustion-engined vehicles to more low carbon forms of propulsion, such as electric or hybrid vehicles, suggests that the nature – et ergo our experiences and perceptions – of the car will necessarily change. It is therefore desirable to investigate the contemporary ‘consumption’ of the car, not only as personal transport but also as status symbol, cultural artefact and experience, to assess how such a socio-cultural consumption might apply to low carbon vehicles and so ascertain the subsequent potential for a holistic low carbon automobility as part of a sustainable transport policy. A suite of methods was employed to investigate if or how contemporary automobilities can aspire to a low carbon automobility, or whether the everyday socio-cultural ‘consumption’ of the car might preclude a transition to low carbon vehicles. The notions of affect and/or non-representational theory were appropriated as a philosophical framework to look beyond a seemingly default postmodern ‘car-as-representation’ approach to the consumption of the car and so begin to explore a deeper, perhaps even subconscious, regard for the car. In addition, opinion was sought from stakeholders within the low carbon vehicle sector as to the technologies within, the prospects for, and the efficacy of, UK low carbon vehicle policy and its facilitation thereon, and also with a sample of EV drivers as to their experiences of electric cars. Responses to an initial online questionnaire appeared to deny any status or regard for the car beyond its utility. However, subsequent semi-structured interviews with motorists conducted (mostly) in their cars contradicted these findings, with a variety of expressed feelings – pride, empowerment, fortune – suggesting a deeper, subconscious regard for, reading of, and connection with, the car than is immediately apparent. Similarly, the utility of the electric car was transcended, this time by feelings of ‘greenness’ and ‘calm’ expressed by EV drivers. A stated amenability and aspiration by those interviewed for low carbon vehicles contrasted with an aspiration for sporty and prestige cars, suggesting an ingrained or innate idea as to what constitutes a truly desirable car. The more cultural facets of the car explored during focus group discussions established a connection between a car’s cultural representation and its meaning. Interviews with low carbon vehicle stakeholders suggest that while UK low carbon vehicle policy is broadly effective, is not as efficacious as it could be, in that itinerate market-led aspirations lack the fixity and certainty, in terms of both infrastructure and policy, that investors and consumers require, especially given a high entry price, the promise of lower running costs notwithstanding. In establishing where ‘here’ is regarding the consumption of the car and the implementation of a low carbon vehicle policy, this research provides a new perspective upon the appetite and potential for a transition to a future low carbon automobility, and shows the efficacy of appropriating the notions of affect and non-representational theory to a more holistic consumption of the car.

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In this thesis, we investigate spin-dependent transport through ferromagnet-contacted single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), in which charge transport shows the Fabry-Perot (FP) interference effect, the Kondo effect and the Coulomb blockade effect at low temperatures. Hysteric magnetoresistance (MR) is observed in all three transport regimes, which can be controlled by both the external magnetic field and the gate voltage. The MR in the FP interference regime can be well understood by a model considering the intrinsic electronic structure of SWCNTs and the quantum interference effect. In the strongly interacting Kondo regime, the Kondo effect is not suppressed by the presence of nearby ferromagnetism. Several observed MR features including the non-splitted zero-bias Kondo peak and positive MR switching can be explained by the strong Kondo effect and weak ferromagnetism in the leads. In the Coulomb blockade regime, several effects that can be associated with the magneto-Coulomb effect have been observed, and isolated spin accumulation and transport through the SWCNT quantum dot have been realized by a four-probe non-local measurements. We also studied charge transport behavior through organic semiconductor pentacene thin film transistors (OTFTs) in the limit of single- or a few molecular layers of pentacene films. The charge transport in these devices can be well explained by the multiple trapping and release model. The structural disorders induced by the physical and chemical causes, such as grain boundaries, interactions with gate insulator, metal contacts and ambient conditions can be responsible for the localized trap states in the ultrathin layer OTFTs, which are further confirmed by the electric force microscopy (EFM) measurements. / text