Modelling consumption behaviour changes in a B2C electric vehicle-sharing system: a perceived systemic risk perspective

• Published in: Climatic change 2020-06, Vol.160 (4), p.655-669
• Main Authors: Lan, Jing, Mangalagiu, Diana, Ma, Yuge, Thornton, Thomas F., Zhu, Dajian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Access; Atmospheric Sciences; Business; Climate change; Climate Change/Climate Change Impacts; Collaboration; Consumption; Consumption patterns; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Economics; Electric vehicles; Model testing; Reciprocity; Risk perception; Sharing economy; Social sustainability; Sustainability; Viability
• ISSN: 0165-0009; 1573-1480
• DOI: 10.1007/s10584-019-02439-0

Most sharing economy business models implement win-win strategies to promote business viability on the one hand coupled with environmental and social sustainability on the other hand. To achieve this purpose, a lower cumulative consumption pattern is a critical benchmark for the effectiveness of such strategies in the sharing economy. In this paper, we define and model consumption patterns and behaviour changes from the perspective of perceived systemic risks (both scarcity and reciprocity risk) in the sharing economy and test our proposed model in the case of EVCARD, an electric vehicle (EV)-sharing system in Shanghai, China. Our analysis shows that the perceived scarcity risk of the EV-sharing significantly affects access-based consumption behaviour, collaborative consumption behaviour and substitutive behaviour intentions. We also show that the perceived reciprocity risk only has a significant effect on access-based consumption behaviour intentions. Moreover, the moderating effects of access variables are tested. We conclude that sharing businesses can achieve their win-win strategies by mitigating perceived systemic risks, influencing the consumer’s desire and capability to substitute private ownership with access-based, collaborative consumption.