A Review of Literature on the Antecedents of Electric Vehicles Promotion: Lessons for Value Chains in Developing Countries

Electric vehicles (EVs) are a part of the solution to the growing challenges of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. The adoption of EV is more pronounced in developed countries than in developing countries. Research on EV adoption is also primarily focused on developed countries. Many of the antecedents of EV promotion noted in the literature do not apply in developing countries because of weak market structures, infrastructure networks, and economies. Moreover, no one study provides a comprehensive understanding of these antecedents. This article identifies the antecedents of EV promotion and explores their utility in developing countries. The literature is searched using the Web of Science database; 198 relevant papers were reviewed using an inductive–deductive approach. The inductive approach is meant to explore the antecedents of EV adoption, while the deductive approach focuses on unraveling how these antecedents unspool in developed countries and can be employed in developing countries. The recursive use of the inductive–deductive approach leads to the development of a taxonomy that further categorizes the antecedents as micro-, macro-, and meso-level antecedents. The taxonomy of antecedents can be used to orchestrate structured and coherent efforts toward promoting EV in developing countries. The article also highlights the need for contextualizing antecedents to the unique infrastructural-, economic-, and market-needs of developing countries. The article provides a foundational understanding for future research focused on the empirical examination of the antecedents of EV.