California Reaches 2 Million Electric Car Sales, 26.4% Market Share – CleanTechnica

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California just passed a major milestone. In the third quarter, it reached 2 million cumulative electric vehicle sales. By the end of the quarter, it had gotten to 2,113,135 EV sales. That’s also 39% of USA’s 5,466,139 cumulative EV sales. California is a huge state, and would be the 4th largest economy in the world if it was its own country, but it has been performing well above its weight in the EV sector.

Data from the California Energy Commission (CEC) indicate 115,897 electric cars were registered in the state in the 3rd quarter. EV market share almost rose to a new record. At 26.4% share of the California new auto market, it was the second best quarter in history in that regard.

California accounted for 30.3% of the US EV market last quarter. While that’s still a huge portion of US EV sales, it does show that the rest of the country is finally catching up a bit and selling more and more EVs (since that is about 9 percentage points behind California’s long-term EV market share).

Across the US, EV share of the auto market reached 8.9% in the third quarter.

The extra good news is: the 3rd quarter is often a weaker quarter. “Historically, Q3 has often seen a decline in total light-duty vehicle sales due to seasonal economic factors, including reduced consumer spending during summer months. In Q3 2024, while total California’s new light-duty vehicle sales experienced a decline, EV sales showed a comparatively smaller drop, resulting in an increased market share,” Veloz writes. “This trend underscores the growing consumer preference for EVs, even in challenging market conditions, highlighting the stability and increasing appeal of EVs compared to internal combustion engine vehicles.”

The organization adds some notes on the importance of the US NEVI program to continued EV sales growth, including in California. “Access to reliable public charging is one of the most common barriers to EV adoption and the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program is instrumental to the expansion of California’s EV charging network. California’s NEVI Deployment Plan outlines a strategy for using the state’s $384 million share of federal NEVI funds to develop a network of high-powered DC fast chargers along federally designated Alternative Fuel Corridors.

“As of August 2024, California has installed over 150,000 public and shared private EV chargers, comprising 137,648 Level 2 chargers and 14,708 fast chargers, demonstrating its leadership in EV infrastructure. Additionally, more than 500,000 private home chargers have been installed across the state, further supporting the growing adoption of electric vehicles. In September 2024, California awarded over $32 million in federal funds to install and maintain 458 direct-current fast chargers along interstates and highways, enhancing the reliability and accessibility of EV charging for drivers statewide.”

Indeed. California and the US as a whole can continue seeing strong EV sales growth, just as other places have. China is now at 30% EV market share, while Norway is at 94%. There’s no reason California can’t reach those levels — China’s level very soon and Norway’s by the end of the decade. And hopefully the US as a whole won’t be too far behind.