Factors Influencing Adoption Intention for Electric Vehicles under a Subsidy Deduction: From Different City-Level Perspectives

The popularization of electric vehicles (EVs) is beneficial to the sustainable development of energy and the environment. China's promotion and development strategy for EVs will serve as a model for other countries. EV ownership has a significant difference between first/second-tier (FST) cities and third/fourth-tier (TFT) cities and there is a huge growth potential for the EV market in those TFT cities. This paper aims to explore the factors influencing the adoption intentions for EVs in FST and TFT cities under a subsidy deduction and to make a comparative analysis of their regional heterogeneity. Based on the extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) model, the structural equation model is used to compare the factors affecting the adoption intention for EVs of 858 respondents in China. The results show that attitude, subjective norms, novelty seeking, non-financial incentive, product cognition, and environmental concerns are positively related to intention in FST and TFT cities; however, infrastructure development only has a positive significant impact in the TFT cities. Additionally, the subsidy deduction has a more negative impact on the adoption intentions in FST cities. Our findings provide vital insights for formulating government regulations and marketing strategies depending on the diverse sizes and attributes of Chinese cities.