The impact of smart connectivity features on customer engagement in electric vehicles

Sustainable transportation is one of the solutions to global warming because road transport is responsible for a considerable part of the total carbon emissions. Electric vehicle (EV) technology is still developing, and most of the available brands market them as either environmentally friendly or operationally economical compared to internal combustion engine based traditional vehicles. However, the adoption rates of electric vehicles across the globe are meager. Customer engagement (CEN) is one of the emerging concepts for gaining and retaining users of a product. This research analyzes CEN in EVs based on more engaging features and technologies, i.e., smart connectivity features. Unfortunately, this vital research area remains unexplored in academia. The role of customer experience and customer brand value is also analyzed in relation to smart connectivity features and CEN. The study uses partial least square-based structural equation modeling to analyze the collected data through a web-based survey. The results show that smart connectivity features have a significant positive impact on CEN in EVs. Smart connectivity features also have a significant indirect effect on CEN through customer experience. Further, customer brand value has a direct impact on customer experience, and customer brand value also has a significant indirect effect on CEN in EVs. These results have significant theoretical and managerial implications.