Last year, 18.8% of all new cars sold in California were zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs), totaling 345,818 units. A small percentage of these sales were made to out-of-state buyers, accounting for 3.89% or 3,303 units. California accounts for 40% of all ZEV sales in the United States.
ZEV sales in California have seen significant growth, increasing 38% from 2021 and 138% from 2020. However, the distribution of sales within the state is not evenly distributed, with the highest percentage of sales in Santa Clara county at 34.04% and the lowest in Modoc county at 0.63%.
Three counties in California, Los Angeles, Orange and Santa Clara, account for almost half of the state’s new ZEV sales, at 169,869 units out of 345,818. When adding in San Diego and Alameda counties, the total reaches 63.4% of the total.
In an effort to further promote the adoption of ZEVs, the California Energy Commission recently approved a $2.9 billion investment plan and the California Air Resources Board approved a $2.6 billion investment plan, with the majority of funds directed towards disadvantaged and low-income communities.
Additionally, California is set to receive $384 million in federal funding from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program for the installation of charging stations throughout the state.
