Charging or Swapping? A study on the private Consumers’ acceptance of the electricity replenishment mode of new energy vehicles

Abstract

In recent years, two types of electricity replenishment modes of new energy vehicles (NEVs) have gradually developed in the NEVs market, one is the battery charging mode, and the other is the battery swapping mode. These two electricity replenishment modes have their own advantages and disadvantages, and consumers have different usage experiences. Generally speaking, the battery charging mode is usually more economical than the battery swapping mode, and its usage scenarios are more common, but in terms of replenishment speed and convenience, the battery swapping mode has obvious advantages. Based on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model, this paper tries to explore the key impact factors on the private consumers’ acceptance of the electricity replenishment mode of NEVs in the market, investigate the heterogeneity of gender, age, and income, and justify the development trend of the electricity replenishment mode of NEVs, aiming to provide managerial insights and policy implications for the high-quality development of the electricity replenishment mode of NEVs. The results indicate that among the five-dimensional variables we selected, performance expectancy has little effect on acceptance, while effort expectancy, social influence, and quality sensitivity have a positive impact on acceptance, and perceived risk has a negative impact on acceptance. Gender, age, and income level had different effects on each variable. This has a reference enlightenment for the follow-up production and marketing of related enterprises.