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SACRAMENTO – In the first three months of 2024, Californians purchased 102,507 zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) and total sales increased from the previous quarter. That’s the highest-ever for the first quarter of any year, despite the share of ZEV sales slightly declining from the previous quarter.
This comes as California surpassed both its zero-emission truck sales and vehicle sales goals two years ahead of schedule, and surpassed its 10,000 fast EV chargers goal more than a year ahead of schedule. The success of the state’s programs has led to ZEVs becoming a top export and has spurred major advances in manufacturing and job creation – with 60 ZEV manufacturers based in California.
“The EV transition is in full swing with nearly one in four California car shoppers choosing to go electric over the last year resulting in record sales,” said California Energy Commission Chair David Hochschild. “This is good news for all Californians as our success delivers cleaner air statewide and drives significant investment in our emerging zero-emission vehicle industry.”
As the state nears two million ZEVs sold, billions are being invested to meet projected infrastructure needs. Last year, Governor Newsom also signed a bill extending the California Energy Commission’s (CEC) Clean Transportation Program and providing a dedicated source of funding for electric vehicle (EV) charging through 2035.
To improve the charging experience, the CEC recently proposed first-ever state-level regulations for EV charger reliability and reporting. Under CEC’s proposal, a performance-based standard would apply to all new publicly funded EV chargers which, among other things, would require disclosure of operational data to help drivers make more informed choices about when and where to charge their EVs.
CALIFORNIA’S ZEV RECORD: Since the Governor’s executive order in 2020 calling for a rule to require all new car sales to be zero-emission by 2035, ZEV sales have risen dramatically.
- 23.9% of all new cars sold in California last quarter were ZEVs, according to the California Energy Commission (CEC)
- 102,507 sales in Q1 of 2024
- 1,872,429 total ZEV sales to date
- 34% of new ZEVs sold in the U.S. are sold in California, according to the California Air Resources Board
- Thousands of dollars in grants and rebates available for low-income Californians (learn more at ClimateAction.ca.gov or ElectricForAll.org
- 105,000 public or shared private electric vehicle chargers have been installed throughout California, which is on top of over 500,000 at-home chargers. The state also recently approved a $1.9 billion plan to build a bigger, better charging network.
