California has achieved a milestone in the fourth quarter of 2021, being the sole US state to record more than a million cumulative sales of plug-in electric vehicles (EVs), a report said.
Based on Veloz’s statistics and the California Energy Commission, 1,054,095 (including some hydrogen fuel cell vehicles) EVs were sold in California, compared to more than 2.4 million in the United States.
The millionth car was a Volkswagen ID.4, delivered to a customer in Stockton and visited by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The state’s plug-in car sales were more than the next ten states combined and seven times more than the next closest state. This is due to various factors, such as how large the car market is and the levels of incentives and wealth.
In 2021, EV sales in California rose to 250,279, posting a 12.4% market share than 7.8% in 2020.
However, the state is still lagging behind Europe’s average of over 20% despite its progress and market share above the global average in 2021 (8.6%), Veloz noted.
In the US, plug-in electric car sales went over 652,000, giving California an over 38% share.
Plug-in electric car sales in 2021:
- California: 250,279 (up 72% year-over-year; 12.4% share)
including: (183,933 BEV, 63,141 PHEV, 3,205 FCEV)
cumulative: 1.05 million (663,014 BEV, 379,125 PHEV, 11,956 FCEV) - US: 652,000
cumulative: 2.4 million
Top models (above 10,000 units):
- Tesla Model 3: 67,262
- Tesla Model Y: 61,022
- Toyota Prius Prime: 14,275
- Chevrolet Bolt EV: 12,313 (plus 974 EUV)
California aims to place 5 million zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2030 and switch to 100% zero-emission sales by 2035.
Have you thought about the challenges of boosting EV adoption in California? It’s cool that over 1 million EVs were sold, but are there enough charging stations and grid upgrades? Plus, are EVs affordable for everyone? Just thinking about it amidst California’s big zero-emission goals.