The development of high-tech industries in Iran, particularly the electric vehicle (EV) industry, is constrained by institutional, policy, and techno-economic barriers rooted in weak integrated governance. This study adopts a quantitative descriptive-survey approach to identify, prioritize, and analyze the structural barriers to EV development in Iran and to identify the requirements for integrated governance. The study population consisted of managers, experts, and specialists in the automotive, energy, supply chain, and policymaking sectors. A total of 67 participants were selected through purposive and snowball sampling. Data were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire comprising nine independent variables and 36 items. Its validity was confirmed using the Delphi method and the CVR and CVI indices. Data were analyzed through multivariate regression modeling. The findings classified the structural barriers into two broad categories: institutional challenges (institutional fragmentation, contradictory policies, infrastructure gaps, and lack of value chain integration) and techno-economic challenges (energy supply-demand imbalance, weak key technologies, financing constraints, and the assembly trap). The results indicate that energy supply-demand imbalance and technological weaknesses exert the strongest direct effects. However, the underlying causes lie in institutional fragmentation and fragmented governance, where contradictory policies and institutional fragmentation create the conditions for techno-economic crises and lock the automotive industry into an assembly trap. The study identifies three fundamental prerequisites for integrated governance: a single cross-sectoral coordinating authority, an integrated long-term national strategy, and a transition from an assembly-based model to an integrated value chain. Redefining the governance structure is a necessary prerequisite for any technology development strategy or industrial investment in this sector.