Travelers’ Acceptance of Electric Carsharing Systems in Developing Countries: The Case of China

Vanduy Tran, Shengchuan Zhao, El Bachir Diop and Weiya Song
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Vanduy Tran: Faculty of Management & Economics, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
Shengchuan Zhao: School of transportation and logistics, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
El Bachir Diop: Faculty of Management & Economics, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
Weiya Song: School of transportation and logistics, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 19, 1-22

Abstract: Emerging electric carsharing (EC) systems have demonstrated their advantages and attracted public attention. The number of EC systems is growing throughout the world, especially in metropolitan areas in developing countries. For successful implementation, developers need to understand the public acceptance of EC services. In this study, we sought to determine the factors that affect EC acceptance in the context of developing countries. The study involved 437 individuals, aged between 18 and 65 years, who were randomly sampled from an EC service area in China. The determinants of EC acceptance were investigated based on an extended version of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and tested by using Structural Equation Modeling. The results indicated that hedonic motivation (HM) has a powerful effect on behavioral intention (BI) to use the EC service in the future. Performance expectancy (PE), effort expectancy (EE), and familiarity with the carsharing concept (FM) also influenced EC’s acceptance. However, the impact of social influence (SI) did not emerge from this study. The results also revealed that gender moderates the effects of EE and FM on BI. Age moderated the effect of FM on BI and unexpectedly moderated the impact of HM on BI. The present study confirmed the validity of the UTAUT research model in predicting the intention to use an EC system in developing countries. Implications and recommendations for government and EC developers are also discussed.

Keywords: electric carsharing (EC); UTAUT; public acceptance; developing countries; sustainable transportation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (17)

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