Though studies have examined the consumer behavior towards adoption of electric vehicles, however, there is lack of empirical research work that unveils factors which enrich electric vehicle consumers’ AWE experience in post-adoption setting. To fill this research gap, the current study has developed a research framework with cognitive factors and investigates electric vehicle consumers’ AWE experience. Moreover, this study has examined the moderating effect of trust in sustainable manufacturers between the consumer’s AWE experience and intention to recommend electric vehicles to others.
The research framework is grounded in the quantitative research approach. Consistent with quantitative research methods, hypotheses are conceptualized and then verified through empirical data. Empirical data are collected from 237 electric vehicle users using a purposive sampling approach. Data are estimated with a structural equation modeling approach.
Findings have demonstrated that jointly anticipated emotions, face consciousness, eco-friendly labels, perceived enjoyment, relative advantage and cognitive environment benefit explained a large variance Rˆ2 75.3% in measuring the electric vehicle consumers’ AWE experience. Nevertheless, cognitive environment benefits and perceived relative advantages have shown a large effect size fˆ2 in predicting electric vehicle consumers’ AWE experience. Moreover, the moderation analysis has confirmed a positive moderating effect of trust in sustainable manufacturers between consumers’ AWE experience and intention to recommend electric vehicles in the social circle.
The present study has investigated the consumer’s AWE experience with unique cognitive predictors, and hence largely contributes to the electric vehicle literature. Practically, this study has disclosed that cognitive environment benefits, perceived enjoyment, relative advantages are core factors which boost the electric vehicle consumers’ AWE experience and promote consumer attitude towards sustainable consumption. Similarly, this study has recommended that consumers’ trust in sustainable manufacturers enhance consumers’ AWE experience and intention to recommend electric vehicles to others. This indicates that in pro-environment consumer market, manufacturer’s credibility does matter to promote eco-friendly products, and hence this factor needs policy maker’s attention.
Prior studies have inspected electric vehicle technology either in initial adoption or in continuance intention setting. Nevertheless, this study is original as it develops a research framework with rarely studied cognitive factors and investigates the consumer’s AWE experience with relation to electric vehicle. Moreover, this study has included a moderating path and investigates the moderating effect of trust in sustainable manufacturers between the consumer’s AWE experience and intention to recommend, and hence distinguishing it with past studies on electric vehicles.
