FROM GREEN MOTIVATION TO SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS: ANALYZING FIRE RISK PERCEPTIONS AND CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE IN ELECTRIC MOTORBIKE ADOPTION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62985/j.huit_ojs.vol26.no3E.555Keywords:
Electric motorbikes, purchase intention, Vietnam, environmental awareness, perceived safety risk, government incentives, KOL influence.Abstract
Air pollution caused by gasoline-powered motorcycles in Vietnam's urban areas has become a pressing environmental concern, making the transition to green transportation increasingly important. This study investigates the factors influencing consumers’ purchase intention toward electric motorbikes in Vietnam during the 2025-2030 period. Addressing the limited research on electric two-wheelers in Southeast Asia, where motorcycles remain the dominant mode of transport, the study integrates the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). In addition to traditional determinants such as attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, the research incorporates contemporary factors including environmental awareness, perceived safety risk, government incentives, key opinion leader (KOL) influence, and charging infrastructure perceptions. A quantitative approach was employed using a structured questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale, and the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The findings reveal that attitude, perceived behavioral control, and KOL influence significantly enhance consumers’ intention to adopt electric motorbikes, whereas perceived safety risk acts as a significant barrier. In contrast, environmental awareness and government incentives do not demonstrate statistically significant effects in the proposed model. The effect of charging infrastructure could not be tested because the construct did not meet the required measurement reliability and validity criteria. These results suggest that practical considerations, personal control, and safety concerns currently play a more influential role than environmental or policy-related motivations in shaping adoption intentions. By focusing on the Vietnamese context, this study contributes to the growing literature on sustainable transportation and provides practical implications for policymakers and manufacturers seeking to accelerate the adoption of electric motorbikes and promote a more sustainable mobility ecosystem.
References
[1] P. Hartmann et al., “Beyond climate change concern: Why air pollution health concern and health orientation matter in battery electric vehicle adoption,” Business Strategy and the Environment, vol. 34, no. 7, pp. 8020-8033, 2025, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.70003
[2] W. Li et al., “A review of factors influencing consumer intentions to adopt battery electric vehicles,” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 78, pp. 318-328, 2017, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2017.04.076
[3] C. D. Duong, “Balancing awareness and responsibility: Cognitive mechanisms shaping electric vehicle purchase intentions,” Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, vol. 31, Art. no. 101440, 2025, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2025.101440
[4] T. T. Trinh and T. T. H. Pham, “Attitude to and usage intention of high school students toward electric two-wheeled vehicles in Hanoi City,” VNU Journal of Economics and Business, vol. 35, no. 2, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://js.vnu.edu.vn/EAB/article/view/4224
[5] T. Eccarius and C.-C. Lu, “Powered two-wheelers for sustainable mobility: A review of consumer adoption of electric motorcycles,” International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 215-231, 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/15568318.2018.1540735
[6] T. T. Thao and T. K. Linh, “Factors affecting the intention to buy Vinfast electric motorcycle of people in Ho Chi Minh City,” Journal of Science and Technology-IUH, vol. 50, no. 2, 2021, doi: https://doi.org/10.46242/jst-iuh.v50i08.951
[7] V. V. Krishnan and B. I. Koshy, “Evaluating the factors influencing purchase intention of electric vehicles in households owning conventional vehicles,” Case Studies on Transport Policy, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 1122-1129, 2021, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cstp.2021.05.013
[8] U. Shakeel, “Electric vehicle development in Pakistan: Predicting consumer purchase intention,” Cleaner and Responsible Consumption, vol. 5, Art. no. 100065, 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clrc.2022.100065
[9] X. Huang and J. Ge, “Electric vehicle development in Beijing: An analysis of consumer purchase intention,” Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 216, pp. 361-372, 2019, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.01.231
[10] A. Pamidimukkala et al., “Utilizing extended theory of planned behavior to evaluate consumers’ adoption intention of electric vehicles,” Green Energy and Intelligent Transportation, Art. no. 100258, 2025, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geits.2025.100258
[11] W. Zhu et al., “Examining the role of Douyin KOL characteristics in shaping consumer purchase intention for electric vehicles in Nanjing: A source credibility perspective,” The 15th National and the 11th International PIM Conference 2025, pp. 438-455, Jun. 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/392758571
[12] P. Chen, M. H. Selamat, and S.-N. Lee, “The impact of policy incentives on the purchase of electric vehicles by consumers in China’s first-tier cities: Moderate-mediate analysis,” Sustainability, vol. 17, no. 12, Art. no. 5319, 2025, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/su17125319
[13] J.-H. Wu et al., “Green purchase intentions: An exploratory study of the Taiwanese electric motorcycle market,” Journal of Business Research, vol. 68, no. 4, pp. 829-833, 2015, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2014.11.036
[14] A. Pamidimukkala et al., “Barriers and motivators to the adoption of electric vehicles: A global review,” Green Energy and Intelligent Transportation, vol. 3, no. 2, Art. no. 100153, 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geits.2024.100153
[15] X.-W. Wang, Y.-M. Cao, and N. Zhang, “The influences of incentive policy perceptions and consumer social attributes on battery electric vehicle purchase intentions,” Energy Policy, vol. 151, Art. no. 112163, 2021, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2021.112163
[16] X. Zhang, X. Bai, and J. Shang, “Is subsidized electric vehicles adoption sustainable: Consumers’ perceptions and motivation toward incentive policies, environmental benefits, and risks,” Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 192, pp. 71-79, 2018, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.04.252
[17] I. Ajzen, “The theory of planned behavior,” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, vol. 50, no. 2, pp. 179-211, 1991, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
[18] X. Huang, “Comparative analysis of consumer purchase intentions for battery electric vehicles in Shenzhen and Yangjiang City, China,” Liberal Arts and Social Studies International Journal (LAASSIJ), vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 21-31, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://so18.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/laassij/article/view/626
[19] Z. Hong and Y. Li, “Research on the influence of perceived risk in consumer online purchasing decision,” Physics Procedia, vol. 24, pp. 1304-1310, 2012, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phpro.2012.02.195
[20] A. Pelaez, C.-W. Chen, and Y. X. Chen, “Effects of perceived risk on intention to purchase: A meta-analysis,” Journal of Computer Information Systems, vol. 59, no. 1, pp. 73-84, 2019, doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/08874417.2017.1300514
[21] C.-J. Yang, “Launching strategy for electric vehicles: Lessons from China and Taiwan,” Technological Forecasting and Social Change, vol. 77, no. 5, pp. 831-834, 2010, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2010.01.010
[22] C. R. Cherry et al., “Dynamics of electric bike ownership and use in Kunming, China,” Transport Policy, vol. 45, pp. 127-135, 2016, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2015.09.007
[23] F. Testa et al., “Drivers to green consumption: A systematic review,” Environment, Development and Sustainability, vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 4826-4880, 2021, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-020-00844-5
[24] J. H. M. Langbroek, J. P. Franklin, and Y. O. Susilo, “The effect of policy incentives on electric vehicle adoption,” Energy Policy, vol. 94, pp. 94-103, 2016, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2016.03.050.
[25] S. Wang, J. Li, and D. Zhao, “The impact of policy measures on consumer intention to adopt electric vehicles: Evidence from China,” Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, vol. 105, pp. 14-26, 2017, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2017.08.013
[26] J. F. Hair Jr., G. T. M. Hult, C. M. Ringle, and M. Sarstedt, A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Thousand Oaks, CA, USA: SAGE Publications, 2014, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-10-2013-0128
[27] M.-K. Kim et al., “Perceived value and adoption intention for electric vehicles in Korea: Moderating effects of environmental traits and government supports,” Energy, vol. 159, pp. 799-809, 2018, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2018.06.064
[28] L. Cui et al., “Predicting determinants of consumers’ purchase motivation for electric vehicles: An application of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs model,” Energy Policy, vol. 151, Art. no. 112167, 2021, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2021.112167
[29] W. W. Chin, A. Gopal, and W. D. Salisbury, “Advancing the theory of adaptive structuration: The development of a scale to measure faithfulness of appropriation,” Information Systems Research, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 342-367, 1997, https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.8.4.342
[30] T. A. Brown, Confirmatory Factor Analysis for Applied Research, 2nd ed. New York, NY, USA: Guilford Press, 2015. [Online]. Available: https://www.guilford.com/books/Confirmatory-Factor-Analysis-for-Applied-Research/Timothy-Brown/9781462515363
[31] International Energy Agency. Global EV Outlook 2024. Paris: International Energy Agency; 2024. Available from: https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2024
[32] Reuters, “Founder of EV maker VinFast launches global charging stations venture,” Mar. 18, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/founder-ev-maker-vinfast-launches-global-charging-stations-firm-2024-03-18/
[33] R. Yadav and G. S. Pathak, “Young consumers' intention towards buying green products in a developing nation: Extending the theory of planned behavior,” Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 135, pp. 732-739, 2016, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.06.120
[34] E. Higueras-Castillo et al., “Factors affecting adoption intention of electric vehicle: A cross-cultural study,” Environment, Development and Sustainability, vol. 26, no. 11, pp. 29293-29329, 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-023-03865-y
[35] J. F. Hair, W. C. Black, B. J. Babin, and R. E. Anderson, Multivariate Data Analysis, 8th ed. Andover, UK: Cengage Learning, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://books.google.com/books?id=0R9ZswEACAAJ


