The State of California announced that, during the second quarter of 2023, one in four new cars sold within the state were zero-emissions* (ZEV), which is a significant milestone and, of course, a new record.
In April, California celebrated cumulative sales of 1.5 million ZEV vehicles, two years earlier than expected, which indicates that electrification of the state is in full swing.
* light-duty Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEVs) definition, includes battery electric vehicles (BEV), plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCEV or FCV). PHEVs are zero-emission only in the all-electric driving mode.
California represents about a third (34 percent) of all new plug-in car sales in the United States.
Let’s now take a look at the detailed data, provided by Veloz and the California Energy Commission (CEC).
In Q2 2023, 125,939 new ZEVs (BEV, PHEV, FCEV) were sold in California (up 59 percent year-over-year), which is a new record and 25.4 percent of the total volume.
For reference, the national sales are estimated at 370,409 (also a massive new record).
ZEV (BEV, PHEV, FCEV) car sales in Q2 2023:
- California: 125,939 (up 59% year-over-year; 25.4% share)
cumulative (since 2011): 1,623,211 (1,146,312 BEV, 460,602 PHEV, 16,297 FCEV) - US: 370,409
cumulative (since 2011): 3,916,106 million
* the numbers might differ from other sources, like the CNCDA (Q2 2023)
With 223,298 units sold in the first half of the year, California is on track for 450,000 this year – potentially more than 500,000, assuming growth of sales.
The share of ZEV cars out of the total car sales in California is increasing quite linearly.
Let’s recall that California has set a goal to put 5 million ZEVs on the road by 2030 and switch to 100% zero-emission ZEV sales by 2035. Currently, it’s at over 1.6 million (BEVs representing the majority at over 1.1 million units).
Veloz’s dashboard shows also the number of charging points in California – close to 88,000 (compared to 63 hydrogen fuel stations).
According to the California Energy Commission’s data, the top ZEVs in California in Q2 2023 were two Tesla models, followed by the Jeep Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid.
Top plug-in models in Q2 2023:
- Tesla Model Y: 74,488
- Tesla Model 3: 41,430
- Jeep Wrangler 4xe: 7,341
- Chevrolet Bolt EUV: 7,082
- Volkswagen ID.4: 5,902
- Ford Mustang Mach-E: 5,071
- Tesla Model X: 4,899
- BMW i4: 4,598
- Mercedes-Benz EQS: 4,375
(Sedan and SUV counted together, as we understand) - Chevrolet Bolt EV: 4,210
* the numbers might differ from other sources
