Jianhua Zhang
New energy vehicles (NEVs) are promoted as sustainable mobility solutions, yet purchase intention among young consumers remains uneven. This study examines how technology perceptions, value-based motives, and social-psychological mechanisms shape NEV purchase intention. Using a structured online questionnaire distributed through automotive platforms and communities, 434 Chinese Generation Y consumers (aged 29–45) in Beijing were surveyed. Structural equation modeling was employed for analysis. Results indicate that perceived ease of use is the strongest driver, exerting significant direct and total effects. Perceived usefulness strengthens attitude and subjective norm, suggesting it influences intention through evaluative and social endorsement pathways. Both attitude and subjective norm significantly predict intention, confirming their roles as proximal psychological routes in high-involvement green consumption. Sustainable value positively affects attitude and directly increases purchase intention, indicating that moral alignment remains influential alongside usability. Facilitating conditions improve attitude but show weak, non-significant total effects on intention, implying contextual support functions primarily as a feasibility cue rather than an independent motivational trigger in well-connected urban settings. This study extends sustainable mobility adoption research by clarifying differentiated cognitive, normative, and value-based pathways and offers practical guidance for manufacturers, platform marketers, ecosystem partners, and policymakers seeking to accelerate NEV uptake among digitally active young consumers.