Comparing Technology Acceptance for Autonomous Vehicles, Battery Electric Vehicles, and Car Sharing—A Study across Europe, China, and North America

Julian M Müller

doi:10.3390/su11164333

Abstract

The automotive industry today faces three major transitions: the emergence of autonomous driving, electric powertrain replacing the internal combustion engine, and changes in possession of automobiles, e.g., increased usage of car sharing. As all three transitions are fostered by technologies that drive digital transformation of automobiles, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by Davis represents the underlying research model of this paper. Hypotheses are developed and tested for a sample of 1177 participants using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Group differences are investigated for three markets: Europe, North America, and China. The paper confirms the underlying assumptions of the Technology Acceptance Model in the context of automobiles. Further, it illustrates influential societal norms and individual experiences for technology acceptance. In addition, compound effects for technology acceptance are found, e.g., the perceived enjoyment of electric driving affects the acceptance of autonomous driving and car possession behavior. The novel approach to integrate three different technologies within the Technology Acceptance Model requires unifying items to a level which makes them comparable, limiting the results for each individual technology. For practice, automotive manufacturers obtain advice on how to foster technology acceptance. For society, the paper uncovers the role of societal norms for technology acceptance in the context of automobiles. Policy makers can obtain insights on how to successfully increase technology acceptance, e.g., for environmental purposes. Conclusively, the paper applies the Technology Acceptance Model for three developments in the context of automobiles, thereby extending current research using the Technology Acceptance Model.

Highlights

Ever since the development of the first automobile, automotive technologies have been subject to substantial technological progress
Not significant paths can only be found for relationships including the Attitude towards environmental protection (ENV) and Innovativeness (INV) as personal attributes
The Perceived Ease of Use decreases with age, but not at p < 0.05, but only at p < 0.1, which is why these control variables were not considered further

Summary

Introduction

Ever since the development of the first automobile, automotive technologies have been subject to substantial technological progress. Automobiles have taken a central role in the majority of societies worldwide, providing, above mobility, a certain level of freedom, while often serving as a status symbol. Since the demand for automobiles is predicted to continue in industrialized nations and expand in emerging markets, more efficient and more sustainable automobile solutions are increasingly encouraged by regulatory policies worldwide [6,7]. The policies and resulting dynamics lead to a paradigm shift in the automotive industry, including, e.g., autonomous vehicles (AV), battery electric vehicles (BEV) and car sharing (CS). Despite the availability of an increasing range of Autonomous Vehicles, Battery-electric Vehicles, and Car Sharing solutions, automobiles that are fully controlled by a driver, powered by fossil fuels, and privately owned are still dominating streetscapes worldwide [8,9,10,11,12]. Market shares of Battery-electric Vehicles are still marginal with the exception of lead markets such as Norway or city centers [13,14,15]

Results

Discussion

Conclusion