Acceptance of new technologies affecting safety on electric bicycles: evidence from five European countries

Abstract

Electric bicycles (e-bikes) are one of the main solutions towards mitigating transport externalities, such as traffic congestion and emission, and have thus been promoted in many countries. Despite the advantages of e-bikes, users are prone to be involved in crashes, usually due to the high speed. Leveraging new technologies could help reduce such crashes; however, e-bike users' willingness to accept new technologies still needs to be investigated. Hence, this study explores e-bike users’ motivation to use smart e-bikes by adopting the extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2). A cross-national survey was administered in five European countriesAustria, Belgium, Germany, Greece and the Netherlands, differing in sizes and cycling culture. The survey yielded 1116 responses, and the structural equation model (SEM) results indicate that ‘performance expectancy’, ‘hedonic motivation’ and ‘perceived safety’ are the strongest predictors of users’ acceptance of new technologies on e-bikes to increase safety and comfort.