Which group should policies target? Effects of incentive policies and product cognitions for electric vehicle adoption among Chinese consumers

As a sustainable innovation in transport sector, electric vehicles (EVs) have shown great potential in reducing carbon emissions and pollution. Understanding the factors affecting consumers' adoption intentions of EVs is vital to the diffusion of EVs. This study aims to identify factors that can encourage consumers to adopt EVs from both internal and external perspectives. We examined three types of policies for EVs formulated by the Chinese government since 2010. Aiming to understand consumers' perceptions of these policies and their impacts on adoption intentions, a survey was sent to potential vehicle consumers in urban China. The survey asked respondents about their cognitions of EVs, including environmental performance and vehicle property, and their perceptions toward three types of incentive policies and their adoption intentions. Results show that consumers' adoption intentions of EVs are determined by product cognition toward EVs and perceptions of incentive policies. Respondents' perceptions of policies are also diverse when grouped according to different demographic characteristics. Women, the elders, and those with lower income exhibit higher acceptance and interest in the policies than their counterparts. Our results are meaningful to policy makers and companies interested in targeting at certain groups and guiding consumers toward clean vehicle technologies.