Assessing environmental concerns, technological usefulness, and adoption drivers of electric three-wheelers in urban transportation systems

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine the factors influencing Switching Intentions toward electric three-wheelers within the urban transportation context of Kerala, India. Given the increasing need for sustainable urban mobility, understanding the behavioural drivers behind adopting electric three-wheelers is critical in promoting greener transport solutions.METHODS: The research applied the Push-Pull-Mooring framework to analyze the influence of various factors on Switching Intentions. Data were collected through snowball sampling from 457 respondents involved in three-wheeler transport systems. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was employed to test the relationships between the factors and Switching Intentions.FINDINGS: The results revealed that the push factors of Awareness of Consequences (β = 0.283, p < 0.000) and Environmental Concerns (β = 0.119, p < 0.005), the pull factor of Perceived Technological Usefulness (β = 0.152, p < 0.000), and the mooring factor of Herding Bias (β = 0.341, p < 0.000) significantly influenced Switching Intentions. However, Policy Support (β = 0.007, p > 0.829) and Personal Innovativeness (β = 0.047, p > 0.163) were found to be insignificant. Additionally, Switching Intention strongly predicted actual Use Behaviour (β = 0.697, p < 0.000) and Intention to Recommend electric three-wheelers (β = 0.437, p < 0.000).CONCLUSION: The study highlighted the importance of environmental awareness and technological perceptions in driving the adoption of electric three-wheelers. These findings offer valuable insights for policymakers, manufacturers, and stakeholders to foster sustainable urban infrastructure development and address environmental challenges by promoting electric three-wheeler adoption. However, the study is limited by its geographic scope and reliance on self-reported data, which may introduce biases. Future research could explore longitudinal studies across diverse urban contexts to assess evolving adoption trends and the long-term impact of policy interventions.