IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/transa/v194y2025ics0965856425000424.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Adoption of speed pedelecs as a commuting vehicle: Investigating the influence of a test period

Author

Listed:
  • den Steen, Nikolaas Van
  • Cappelle, Jan
  • Vanhaverbeke, Lieselot

Abstract

The rising registration numbers show that speed pedelecs are being adopted in Flanders, Belgium. A speed pedelec (SP), i.e. a fast electric bicycle with a maximum pedal-assisted speed of 45 km/h and a maximum continuous rated motor power of 4 kW, is a good alternative to cars as a commuting vehicle for certain distances. Qualitative studies identified the existing motivations for this uptake, but a model describing the specific factors driving this adoption, linked to empirical validation, is missing. This paper suggests a new SP adoption model based on several existing adoption theories and tests the theory through an experimental trial with a pre-test and post-test measurement. The study reveals that attitude formation is influenced by several factors, including Trust, Result Demonstrability, Design, Relative Advantage and Ease of Use before the test period. After the test period, however, the set of influencing factors narrows, with only Design and Ease of Use remaining significant predictors of attitude formation. This indicates that the test period not only reinforces certain perceptions but also filters out less impactful attributes, concentrating participants’ attitudes around the usability and design of the speed pedelec. The findings confirm that attitude formation towards speed pedelecs is instrumental in driving the intention to adopt them as commuting vehicles, with the test period playing a key role in reshaping perceptions. These insights are valuable for marketers and policymakers aiming to encourage active mobility, highlighting the importance of emphasising specific characteristics like design and usability to potential adopters.

Suggested Citation

  • den Steen, Nikolaas Van & Cappelle, Jan & Vanhaverbeke, Lieselot, 2025. "Adoption of speed pedelecs as a commuting vehicle: Investigating the influence of a test period," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 194(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:194:y:2025:i:c:s0965856425000424
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2025.104414
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856425000424
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.tra.2025.104414?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:194:y:2025:i:c:s0965856425000424. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/547/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.