Understanding the illegal charging intention of electric micro-mobility vehicle users by extending the theory of planned behavior

The sustainable development of urban electric micro-mobility vehicles (EMVs) requires an orderly charging mode. The illegal charging behavior of EMV users has become a significant cause of EMV fire accidents. However, the current literature lacks attention towards EMV illegal charging behavior. This study employed the extended theory of planned behavior and structural equation modeling approach to identify the driving factors of illegal charging behavior among Chinese EMV users. An empirical study was conducted on 402 EMV users in Nanjing, China, analyzing the relationship between latent variables and testing the moderating effects of control variables, such as gender, through a multi-group analysis. The results revealed that the structural model had a good fit and explanatory power and its predictive validity accounts for about 55% of the variance in adoption intention. Subjective norm was the most important factor driving users' intention to adopt illegal charging behavior, and attitude and perceived behavioral control also present significant positive effects on the intention to adopt illegal charging behavior. Meanwhile, charging environment was significantly and positively related to risk perception, while there was no significant effect on attitude. Risk perception positively influenced attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control. Furthermore, gender, education, and riding frequency moderate the intention of EMV users to engage in illegal charging behavior, whereas age and riding distance do not have a significant moderating effect. The study offers transportation departments and industry participants valuable insights towards promoting the orderly charging mode of urban EMVs, which is essential for their sustainable development and reducing the risk of electric micro-mobility fire accidents.