Assessing policy influence on electric vehicle adoption in China : an in-depth study

Electrification of transport industry in China presents several new prospects to fulfil requirements, which are necessary to encounter increasing issues of energy security, air quality, and to lower the dependence on fossil fuels. The Chinese government is paying significant attention in increasing EV market penetration and consumer adoption through numerous demonstration programs/plans with attractive transportation policies. In this study, key factors included in adoption barriers and EV policies are comprehensively reviewed, which can enhance consumer intention to adopt EVs. This research study extensively demonstrates the significant and positive impact of two distinguished types of EV policies including financial policies and preferential policies on consumer's intention to adopt EVs by implementing an extended and improved version of Theory of Planned behavior (TPB). A case study in Shanghai is performed through survey of 314 respondents, which is further evaluated by structural equation modelling (SEM) to assess the aspects of EV policies on consumer adoption. In particular, construct items of TPB including attitude, subjective norm (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC) are investigated in detail to present their joint impact on purchasing intention of consumers. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modelling are performed in AMOS for assessment of survey findings. The research findings from survey analysis reveal that financial and preferential EV policies have a considerable impact towards shaping the attitude of consumers and significantly related to adoption intention of EVs. However, for Shanghainese, preferential policies are more positively associated with consumer purchase intention in comparison with financial policies. Consequently, preferential policies are playing a crucial role in controlling the adoption intention of EVs in China. The principal policy suggestions for various aspects provide multifaceted perceptions for stakeholders to envision electrified transportation.