Estimating the Adoption Rate of Hybrid Vehicles by Pakistani Consumers: An Application of the Extended Model of Theory of Planned Behavior

Abstract

Pakistan is world’s fifth populace country. Pakistani nation is also a big energy consumer and it is under an immense agitation to upgrade its energy efficiency as well as to trim down its carbon emissions. For these aspirations hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) are best substitutes. HEVs are energy efficient transport vehicles having the potential to minimize the gasoline consumption, carbon emissions and other related environmental concerns. A prolix approach of HEVs adoption is a hefty initiative. The study includes the significance conclusions about behavioral intention and actual behavior of adopting hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) of Pakistani consumers. The data was obtained from respondents through questionnaires. About 227 respondents were interviewed from two big cities of Pakistan like Lahore and Gujranwala. The results shows that three basic constituent of TPB model (Consumer’s attitude towards hybrid electric vehicles, subjective norms and PBC) and personal moral norms partially mediate the relationship between consumer’s environmental concern and their intention to use or adopt HEVs. As per result consumers environmental concerns has significant positive indirect impact on the attitudes towards HEVs, subjective norms, PBC and personal norms and which sequentially sway a positive impact on adaptation intention of consumer. There is also positive mediation effects of personal moral norms between consumer’s environmental concerns and consumer’s actual adopting behavior. This study shows appropriateness of TPB model and confirms that the extended model of TPB is very helpful in predicting the Pakistani consumer’s intention and actual behavior to adopt HEVs.