Analysing the Impact of Environmental Knowledge, Concern, and Perceived Risk on EV Purchase Intention in China: A TPB Perspective

The growing awareness of environmental issues and supportive policies have accelerated the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) as a sustainable alternative to conventional transportation. However, economic and perceptual barriers continue to influence consumer decision-making. This study extends the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) by incorporating perceived value (PV) as a mediating mechanism, with environmental knowledge (EK), environmental concern (EC), and perceived risk (PR) as additional antecedents of behavioural, normative, and control beliefs (BB, NB, CB), which in turn shape attitudes (AT), subjective norms (SN), and perceived behavioural control (PBC). Through a survey of 461 potential consumers in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, structural equation modelling via SmartPLS 4.0 reveals that: (1) AT (β = 0.134, p = 0.008) and PBC (β = 0.130, p = 0.011) exert significant direct effects on purchase intention (PI), while SN influences PI through both direct (β = 0.182, p < 0.001) and indirect pathways; (2) EK and EC positively influence both PV and PI, whereas PR negatively influences PV (β = −0.308, p < 0.001) and PI (β = −0.126, p = 0.023); and (3) PV significantly mediates the effects of EK, EC, and PR on PI. The extended model explains 54.2% of the variance in EV purchase intention (R2 = 0.542). These findings provide a theoretical and empirical basis for policymakers and manufacturers to design targeted strategies that enhance consumer confidence and promote EV adoption, contributing to sustainable transportation development.