Hongbo Ma, Xiaoying Lou, Shurui Gu, Ibnu Siswanto, Andik Asmara
Electric vehicles (EVs) have become increasingly mainstream in China, yet the psychological drivers of adoption may evolve as markets progress. This study reexamines these drivers by incorporating consumer innovativeness and environmental concern into the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). Drawing on 616 valid survey responses from EV owners and test drivers in the Yangtze River Delta, we employed structural equation modeling with moderated mediation analysis to test the proposed hypotheses. The findings indicate that innovativeness exerts both direct (β = 0.33) and indirect effects on adoption intention through performance expectancy (β = 0.18) and facilitating conditions (β = 0.43). In contrast, the effect of environmental concern is entirely indirect. Gender functions as a significant contextual moderator in the innovativeness–adoption pathway, with the magnitude of indirect effects varying across gender groups. The model explains 61 % of the variance in adoption intention, offering a coherent account of the psychological mechanisms shaping EV adoption. These results underscore the need to strengthen technological value propositions and infrastructure support to sustain adoption momentum in an increasingly competitive EV market. © 2025 The Author(s).
Jinhua University of Vocational Technology, Business School, Jinhua, 321000, China; Nanjing Normal University, School of Geography, Nanjing, 210023, China; Guangzhou College of Technology and Business, Business School, Guangdong, 510850, China; Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Faculty of Engineering, Yogyakarta, 55281, Indonesia
