An extended integrated TAM–TPB–IDT model for explaining new energy vehicle purchase intentions among China’s Generation Z

This study investigates the determinants of New Energy Vehicle (NEV) purchase intention among Generation Z consumers in China, against the backdrop of an ongoing transition of the transport sector toward low-carbon mobility. To elucidate the behavioural mechanisms underlying NEV adoption, an extended integrated framework is developed by synthesising the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT), and by incorporating context-specific factors that capture China’s policy environment, charging infrastructure and digital mobility ecosystem. Using survey data from 487 young adults, Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) is applied to examine how technological perceptions, attitudinal and control beliefs, innovation attributes and external enabling conditions jointly shape NEV purchase intention. The results show that perceived usefulness, attitude, perceived behavioral control, environmental consciousness, relative advantage, compatibility, charging infrastructure and smart networked technology exert significant positive effects on purchase intention, whereas perceived risk does not constitute a salient barrier for this cohort. Attitude mediates the effects of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use on intention, while government policy support and social media influence, respectively, strengthen the impacts of attitude and subjective norms. These findings provide a nuanced characterisation of NEV adoption behaviour among emerging young consumers in the world’s largest NEV market and yield policy-relevant insights for the design of integrated instrument packages, the planning of charging infrastructure and the use of digital communication strategies to accelerate NEV diffusion within sustainable transport systems.