Driving the Green Vehicles Shift: An Evaluation of Malaysian Consumers’ Acceptance

Abstract

With the current drastic changes in global weather, more countries are worried about the sustainability of the ecosystem. Global leaders are more concerned about the drastic climate change, and various initiatives are being taken to prevent further damage to the ecosystem. In Malaysia, the transportation sector, mainly motor vehicles, emitted approximately 97% of carbon monoxide to the environment, causing harmful air pollution. Because of this, green vehicles were introduced to overcome this problem. However, there remain various challenges that may impede or trigger the interest of Malaysian consumers in accepting green vehicles. Thus, this study applies the cognitive-affection model to predict the consumers’ intention to accept green vehicles. Using a purposive sampling among current vehicle drivers, a face-to-face survey was conducted and gathered a total of 606 responses. Data were analysed using statistical measurements such as descriptive analysis, exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modelling. Five latent factors such as consumers’ acceptance, perceived quality, perceived value (environmental concern, acquisition and maintenance cost), and government policies were identified. The results indicated that perceived value (environmental concern), perceived quality, and government policies have a strong positive relationship with consumers’ acceptance. The perceived value showed a negative relationship with consumer acceptance, indicating that consumers would only consider accepting green vehicles if they were cheaper and had a low maintenance cost.