Graduation Semester and Year

2023

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering

Department

Civil Engineering

First Advisor

Sharareh Kermanshachi

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The ever-increasing concern over climate change is compelling global economies to employ alternative fuel technology to combat the vehicular emissions of greenhouse gases. Electric vehicles (EVs) offer a viable environmentally friendly alternative that has the potential to facilitate an effective shift towards a sustainable transportation system with low emissions while preserving the environment. However, well-intentioned policies and other incentives have not been able to transcend the factors that prevent their adoption. Therefore, this research aims to develop three models to determine the factors affecting consumers’ willingness to adopt EVs. A questionnaire survey was designed based on an extensive literature search to accomplish the study's aim. The survey was administered to a population of 10,000 students, faculty, and staff who held active parking permits at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). The survey was electronically disseminated through an online platform QuestionPro, and after two rounds of reminder emails, 743 valid and complete responses were received. Based on the collected survey data, the first model identified the technological, infrastructure, financial, and environmental factors influencing the consumers' intention to adopt EVs. Model 1 results indicated that of the four categories of barriers, only the environmental barriers are not significant. The second model examined the consolidative framework of personality beliefs- the intention to understand consumers’ intention to adopt EVs. The model revealed that perceived ease of use, personal innovativeness, and perceived usefulness positively impact consumers’ intention to adopt EVs, while perceived risk harms the perceived usefulness and adoption intention of EVs. Additionally, consumers’ personal innovativeness positively influences perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness and negatively influences perceived risk. Furthermore, the findings also reveal that perceived ease of use, usefulness, and risk partly mediate the influence of personal innovativeness on the EV adoption intention. The third model utilized the theory of planned behavior (TPB), and incorporated additional factors such as price value, moral norms, and financial incentives to examine consumers’ intention to adopt EVs. The results reveal that attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavior control, moral norms, and price value significantly affect consumers’ intentions to adopt EVs. Nevertheless, the findings indicate that providing financial incentives does not statistically impact consumers’ adoption intention. The outcomes of this study may aid policymakers in developing effective transportation and energy policies and guide those responsible for designing EVs that fit the needs and demands of potential consumers.

Keywords

Electric vehicles, Consumers, Adoption intention, Cluster analysis, Theory of Planned Behavior, Technology Acceptance Model

Disciplines

Civil and Environmental Engineering | Civil Engineering | Engineering

Comments

Degree granted by The University of Texas at Arlington

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Available for download on Thursday, August 01, 2024

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