Nghiên cứu nhân tố ảnh hưởng đến quyết định sử dụng xe điện của sinh viên NEU

1. Introduction

Electric motorcycles are a good alternative to gasoline motorcycles, with

advantages such as lower operating costs and environmental friendliness. There are
numerous electric motorcycle companies on the market today, each with a unique
design and price. However, gasoline motorcycles continue to dominate the market
and are more popular with consumers than electric vehicles. This makes it difficult
for manufacturers of electric motorcycles to compete with traditional gasoline
motorcycles.

Vietnam currently has more than 4.6 million cars and more than 60 million
motorcycles in operation, with a high concentration in major cities such as Ho Chi
Minh City, and Hanoi… (Ministry of Transport, 2022 ). Motorcycles and
motorbikes are popular and rapidly growing types of vehicles. In particular, Hanoi
managed 6,649,596 vehicles in the first quarter of 2019, including 5,761,436
motorcycles. The number of motorcycles used for more than ten years accounted
for 52% of the total. Motorcycles account for 86% of traffic in Hanoi. (Electronic
Newspaper - Communist Party of Vietnam, 2021) and accounts for 95% of Ho Chi
Minh City's vehicle population ( Department of Transport -Ho Chi Minh City,
2019).

When it comes to the cost of operating an electric motorcycle, it is more

expensive than a gasoline motorcycle. The average electricity price in Vietnam is
around 2,300 VND/kWh, while the average gasoline price in Vietnam as of
November 1, 2022, is 22,000 VND/liter. A gasoline motorcycle will consume
approximately 2.5 liters of gasoline for a distance of 100 kilometers, which is
approximately 55,000 VND, whereas an electric motorcycle with a 22Ah battery
will cost approximately 3.5 kWh to travel the same distance, which is
approximately 8,050 VND.

Furthermore, the pollution level of a gasoline motorcycle is significantly higher

than that of an electric motorcycle. According to a Thai study, electric motorcycles
emit 60% less CO2 than a comparable gasoline vehicle. Because Thailand
produces electricity primarily from natural gas, this CO2 source is entirely from
electricity production. While internal combustion engines emit CO2 at an 80/20
split between use and production (Bloomberg NEF, 2020). This means that if a
gasoline car emits 100 g of CO2/km, 80 g is due to use (burning fuel) and 20 g is
due to gasoline production. A comparable electric motorcycle emits only 60 g of
CO2 from the generation of electricity. As a result of the cleaner electricity source
in Vietnam, electric motorcycles will be significantly cleaner than in Thailand. In
particular, more than 80% of Thailand's electricity output in 2021 will be generated
by thermal power, with coal fuel accounting for 63.8% and natural gas accounting
for 20.3%. (Statista, 2022). Thailand's electricity sources emit CO2. Meanwhile,
hydroelectricity (30.62%), coal thermal power (45.99%), and gas turbines
(10.25%) account for more than 80% of Vietnam's electricity output ( Nguyen Thai
Son, 2022).

Thus, while electric vehicles have advantages in terms of price, operating costs,
and being more environmentally friendly than gasoline motorcycles, their
consumer acceptance remains low. As a result, the research identifies factors
influencing consumer purchase decisions for electric motorbikes in order to
propose effective solutions and directions so that electric vehicle manufacturers
can capitalize on the potential of the market for electric motorbikes in Vietnam.
However, research on the factors influencing consumers’ decisions to purchase
electric motorcycles is still limited in Vietnam. The following part will present a
number of pertinent background studies, before outlining the purpose of the study
and the research methodology.

2. Literature review

Many authors have identified some following factors in their earlier research
and their effects on the intention to purchase electric vehicles are quite clear. These
factors include financial factors, infrastructure factors, performance factors,
individual environmental concerns, and awareness and factors of policies.

According to a Thai survey, pricing is not one of the key elements influencing
the decision to own an electric vehicle, and Thai buyers are willing to spend more
for an electric vehicle. However, if the price is excessively high in comparison to
customers' expectations, it may influence their decision to purchase electric
vehicles (Thananusak et al., 2017). In contrast, it was discovered in a research
report conducted in Bangkok, Thailand, that one of the primary elements
influencing consumers' buying intention is the financial component. The disparity
between these two research findings could be attributed to the survey sampling
process.

Wang and Liu (2015) discovered that charging station infrastructure continues
to influence consumer demand in a study in which they issued an online
questionnaire to 1,057 Chinese respondents. Furthermore, William Sierzchula et al.
(2014) discovered that the availability of charging stations is substantially
associated with the adoption of electric vehicles. According to this study, the
increasing number of charging stations positioned along major routes and near
residential areas will encourage the quick adoption of electric vehicles. The final
findings demonstrate that of all the elements considered, charging infrastructure is
the most strongly connected with electric vehicle uptake. One challenge of these
studies is they just focus on the infrastructure itself but make no mention of refuel
time or in the case of electric vehicles charging time. A study in Solo, Indonesia
showed that the recharge time was especially crucial, implying that advancements
in battery charging technology and charging infrastructure could have a significant
impact on consumers' desire to embrace electric motorcycles (Guerra, 2019). So
the question here is what matters the most between recharge time and the
availability of charging stations in terms of influencing customer's intention of
buying electric vehicles

Customers in Thailand are more concerned with the performance aspects of

electric vehicles, such as driving range, speed, and safety, than they are with the
infrastructure, such as charging stations, and the financial aspects, such as the cost
of the vehicle to buy, operate and maintain, and the price at which it can be sold
(Thananusak et al., 2017). Customers place a lot of importance on challenges with
performance, such as safety concerns in traffic. Customers do not want to
experience problems like cars running out of energy when they are on the highway.
The components of electric vehicles are extremely sensitive to water and easily
damaged when they come into contact with it, thus water resistance is particularly
crucial.

Another primary element influencing people's decisions to acquire electric

automobiles is their concern for the environment (Thananusak et al., 2017).
Consumers' behavioral intention to acquire electric vehicles will also be influenced
by their environmental consciousness (Tu and Yang, 2019). Studies conducted in
Thailand and China, however, have revealed that although the public is aware of
environmental issues, these two nations' citizens still do not place a high premium
on them. Therefore, although closely related to customers' purchasing decisions
about electric motorcycles, these characteristics have a limited impact on consumer
choices.

In addition to the design and development of electric vehicles, the main factors
influencing consumers' purchase of electric vehicles are the spread of electric
vehicles and the provision of reference information for consumers and purchasers
based on government and manufacturer policies regarding the increased promotion
of electric vehicles and support of charging facilities (Tu and Yang, 2019). The
impression of environmental policy is one of two antecedent elements of the
perception of electric vehicles, which determines the behavioral intention to
acquire electric vehicles, according to a second case study conducted in Macau
(Lai et al., 2015).

3. Conceptual model and hypotheses

Consumer behavior research is a complex research topic; research findings may
alter depending on the market due to variances in living standards, cultures,
customs, awareness, and lifestyles. As a result, this study will inherit the outcomes
of previous investigations while also adding new elements and hypotheses to the
conceptual model and research hypotheses inherited from a study in Thailand
(Thananusak et al., 2017) to meet the current research environment in Vietnam.

3.1.The inherited hypotheses

Hypothesis 1: Performance factors have a significant impact on consumers’

decisions to purchase electric motorcycles

Hypothesis 2: Infrastructure factors have a significant impact on consumers’

decisions to purchase electric motorcycles

Hypothesis 3: Financial factors have a significant impact on consumers’ decisions

to purchase electric motorcycles

Hypothesis 4: Environmental concerns and awareness have a significant impact on

consumers’ decisions to purchase electric motorcycles

Hypothesis 5: High-priced have a significant impact on consumers’ decisions to

purchase electric motorcycles

Hypothesis 6: High-priced negatively overcome a relationship between

environmental concerns and consumers’ decisions to purchase electric motorcycles

3.2.The added hypotheses

In general, motorbikes are generally the primary mode of transportation for

customers in Vietnam, and they must suit a variety of purposes such as getting to
work, hanging out, business equipment, and transporting goods. Furthermore, the
operating conditions of motorcycles in Vietnam are frequently influenced by a
variety of elements such as weather, climate, air pollution, topography, flooded
 roads, and so on. As a result, durability factors may have a significant impact on
Vietnamese buyers' decision to purchase electric vehicles.

Hypothesis 7: Durability factors have a significant impact on customers’ decision

to purchase electric motorcycles

As the primary mode of transportation for many families and individuals,

motorcycles must be used for a variety of purposes, so the conveniences that
gasoline-powered motorcycles have been bringing to consumers include ease of
control and acceleration in a variety of traffic conditions, easy repair, easy to find
replacement parts, easy liquidation at a reasonable price, fast refuel time, and so
on. As a result, the study's next premise is that the convenience factor has a
substantial influence on the decision to acquire an electric motorcycle.

Hypothesis 8: Convenience factors have a significant impact on customers’

decision to purchase electric motorcycles

Currently, Hanoi alone manages over 6 million gasoline-powered motorcycles.

This is a significant barrier to entry for electric motorcycle manufacturers because
a petrol motorcycle can be used by at least two generations of the family.
Customers do not need to purchase a new mode of transportation because an old
petrol motorcycle would suffice. In other words, if there is no acceptable plan in
place to assist customers in getting rid of their current gasoline motorcycles, it may
influence the customer's decision to purchase electric motorcycles.

Hypothesis 9: Conversion problems have a significant impact on customers’

decision to purchase electric motorcycles

3.3.Conceptual model

Performance Convenience
Infrastructure
factors factors
factors

Customers’ decision
Financial to purchase electric Durability
factors motorcycles factors

Environmental