“Trusting the Transition: The Role of Policy Credibility and Institutional Support in EV Continuance Intention”

Abstract

Introduction: Governments worldwide increasingly promote electric vehicles (EVs) as a strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, decrease fossil fuel dependency, and improve urban air quality. While policy initiatives such as financial incentives, tax benefits, and charging infrastructure development have accelerated EV adoption, the long-term sustainability of electric mobility depends not only on initial adoption but also on users’ continuance intention. In emerging EV ecosystems, uncertainty regarding policy stability and institutional readiness may influence users’ post-adoption evaluations and their willingness to continue using EVs.  .

Objectives: This study aims to examine how policy credibility and institutional support influence EV users’ continuance intention through the mediating mechanisms of confirmation and satisfaction within the framework of Expectation-Confirmation Theory (ECT).

Methods: The study adopts a quantitative cross-sectional research design and collects survey data from registered electric vehicle users in Kerala, India. The relationships among policy credibility, institutional support, confirmation, satisfaction, and continuance intention are analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) through SmartPLS software.

Results: The results reveal that both policy credibility and institutional support significantly enhance confirmation of expectations among EV users. Confirmation shows a strong positive influence on satisfaction, and satisfaction emerges as the most significant determinant of continuance intention. The findings further indicate that confirmation and satisfaction act as key mediating mechanisms linking institutional and policy factors to sustained EV usage behaviour.

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