Exploring consumer adoption of zero-emission vehicles: Integrating behavioural reasoning and construal level theory in early technology diffusion

The environmental crisis has made the development and diffusion of green products a critical challenge, compelling companies to adopt eco-innovator roles and align with consumer preferences for sustainable solutions. However, limited attention has been paid to understanding the evolution of consumer cognitive processes when evaluating solutions that are not yet market-ready. Drawing on Behavioural Reasoning Theory (BRT), this paper integrates insights from the Construal Level Theory to explain how cognitive mechanisms shape consumers’ attitudes towards zero-emission vehicles. Specifically, the study examines how these mechanisms change when consumers evaluate existing products, prospective products, or the broader product category, by introducing targeted manipulations to test a BRT model extended with familiarity as an attitudinal antecedent. The research uses a between-group experimental design in which 1071 Italian consumers were randomly assigned to a specific evaluative condition. The findings show that familiarity negatively relates to reasons against, and values positively influence reasons for and attitudes. Both relationships are valid regardless of manipulation. Instead, familiarity positively impacts reasons for, and values negatively affect reasons against, varying with product diffusion stages and abstraction levels. This study enriches green technology adoption literature by advancing BRT, emphasising the role of familiarity and psychological distance in impacting consumer cognition. Managerial implications underscore the need for an iterative product development process, driven by continuous customer analysis to capture shifts in perceptions and preferences across diffusion stages. They also stress the importance of tailored communication strategies, balancing value-driven and feature-based messaging to trigger relevant cognitive drivers at each adoption stage.