Modeling acceptance of electric vehicle sharing based on theory of planned behavior

Abstract

The electric vehicle (EV) is a kind of innovation helping to address the issue of climate change and conventional energy consumption, compared to internal combustion engine vehicles. Electric vehicle sharing is a new way to promote the market penetration of electric vehicles due to its convenience and economy. Aiming to provide a more profound understanding of the influential factors in the acceptance of electric vehicle sharing, a structural equation model is proposed based on the theory of planned behavior as the policy environment has been added as prepositive variable. The data about the travelers' perspective of electric vehicle sharing are acquired from questionnaires in Beijing. The results indicate that the perceived behavioral control is the primary factor with positive contributions to EV-sharing acceptance. Subjective norm, ranking second, is also proven to exert a significant positive effect on EV-sharing acceptance. The results also reveal the insignificant relationship between the attitude towards behavior and sharing acceptance, which is consistent with relevant research. Moreover, the significant positive effects of policy support on attitude and subjective norm are demonstrated. Finally, strategies to promote electric vehicle sharing are proposed, including providing more accessible resources (charging facility, service station), improving social pressure (free trial, sharing atmosphere), and strengthening policy support (financial support, legal guarantee). This study can give a better understanding of the acceptance of EV sharing and the strategy to promoting EV sharing in urban traffic.