From gasoline to green: understanding the acceptance of electric motorcycles from the motorcyclists’ perspective – evidence from Tehran

Ali Farokhnejad, Mahdi Samadzad and Gaele Lesteven ()
Additional contact information
Ali Farokhnejad: University of Tehran
Mahdi Samadzad: University of Tehran
Gaele Lesteven: LAET - Laboratoire Aménagement Économie Transports - UL2 - Université Lumière - Lyon 2 - ENTPE - École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'État - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

Post-Print from HAL

Abstract: The use of motorcycles, most of them gasoline-powered, is a trend increasingly seen in densely populated urban areas of the global South. This is in part due to transport infrastructure investments failing to keep pace with population growth, and economic difficulties, which push more people towards informal jobs, and make motorcycles more affordable than private cars. The coronavirus pandemic accelerated this trend as motorcycles were perceived as ventilated modes with low contagion risk. However, gasoline-powered motorcycles produce substantially more emissions and pollution, undermining sustainability goals and causing climate-change and health issues. We investigate factors influencing motorcyclists' decision to switch to electric motorbikes, as they probably are the only sustainable alternatives comparable in range, speed, and price in most regions. To this end, an extended Technology Acceptance Model is estimated based on a face-to-face survey of 582 motorcyclists in Tehran, Iran, a traditionally car-oriented city that experiences rapid growth in motorcycle use. Its results indicated that Perceived Ease of Use, Compatibility, and Trust are the key factors. These findings suggest that policy interventions must not only highlight the practical advantages and user-friendly operation of electric motorcycles but also proactively build consumer trust in the technology and clearly communicate its broader environmental and community benefits, particularly to middle-class users who rely on their motorcycles for work.

Keywords: Tehran; Model; Technology Acceptance; Sustainable mobility; Electric motorcycles; Electric mobility (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-05633309v1
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Published in Case Studies on Transport Policy, 2026, 24, pp.101771. ⟨10.1016/j.cstp.2026.101771⟩

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-05633309

DOI: 10.1016/j.cstp.2026.101771

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Post-Print from HAL
Bibliographic data for series maintained by CCSD ().