The state of California has successfully hit its 1.5 million zero-emission vehicle (ZEVs) sales two years ahead of its schedule, per the state report.
The Office of the Governor further emphasized how its $2 billion ZEV incentives contributed to the state’s rapid adoption of clean vehicles. That enormous amount is only a part of the state’s bigger $9 billion ZEV budget to aid Californians in affording electrification.
Most notably, the results strongly indicate Tesla’s strong presence in California as it maintains its position as the market leader.
California ZEV report
Sawyer Merrit first shared the California ZEV Sales report on Twitter on April 22. Interestingly, the report emphasizes Tesla’s strong performance against its competitors.
The report claims that California has cumulatively sold more than 1 million electric vehicles since the state began keeping track of the data only a few years ago. Of that total, 95,946 EVs were sold in just the first three months of this year. Remarkably, Tesla cars made up the great bulk of those sales.
At the same time, 588,455 light-duty vehicles were sold in California. Pure electric vehicles comprised 16.3% of that total, and “ZEVs” (EVs plus PHEVs + fuel cell vehicles) made up 21.1%.
Remarkably, ZEVs made up 21% of all new cars sold in California this year. Veloz EV Market Report also claims that California accounts for 40% of all ZEV sales nationwide.
Below is California’s ZEV sales record:
- 124,053 ZEV sales in Q1 2023
- 1,523,966 total ZEV sales to date
“No other state in the nation is doing as much as we are to accelerate our electric and zero emissions future.
California is setting the bar for climate action – and we’re achieving our goals years ahead of schedule thanks to unprecedented investments secured in partnership with the Legislature. We’re making real progress on the world’s most ambitious plan to end the tailpipe so our kids and grandkids are left with a cleaner, healthier planet.”
Governor Newsom
Tesla leads the California ZEV market
As mentioned, Tesla dominates the ZEV market in California, with the Model Y selling 33,205 units in Q1 2023.
Tesla Model 3 followed it with sales of 19,989 units. On the other hand, the Tesla Model X sold 3,101 units, while the Model S had only 887 sales.
Only a few vehicles, including Tesla’s top 3 sellers, sold more than 2,000 units in Q1 2023.
The Volkswagen ID.4, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Chevrolet Bolt/Bolt EUV, BMW i4, and Polestar 2 stood out as the market leaders among those with over 2,000 sales. Neither Hyundai nor Kia could sell 2,000 units of any model in their EV lineup. While Rivian’s total sales came close to 2,000, the R1T and R1S’s individual sales are still well below that threshold.
The California Energy Commission also revealed the enormous difference in EV sales locations around the state. Eastern inland regions lag behind coastal regions, including Los Angeles County and the San Francisco Bay Area, primarily by a wide margin.
This tendency was also seen in the sales of heavy-duty electric vehicles (heavy-duty buses, trucks, etc.), where Los Angeles led the state by a significant difference.
See Also:
- Tesla to replace Toyota as highest selling car brand in California
- California increased its incentive program for low and moderate-income buyers
- Tesla names California as the home of its global engineering headquarters
- Tesla Model 3 & Y qualify for California’s USD2,000 rebate
- California: Q4 2022 EV sales increased to 24% market share
Tesla’s success in its former home market is not surprising, given its aggressive efforts to increase its sales locally and globally. It even compromised revenue through major price cuts to secure volume growth.
