California just notched one of its best quarters ever for new zero-emission vehicle sales

SACRAMENTO — In the second quarter of 2024, Californians purchased 118,181 zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) representing 25.7% of all new vehicle sales in the state. That’s nearly 10,000 more than the first three months of the year and the second highest ever market share.

California is all in on zero-emission transportation with an unprecedented level of funding dedicated to support the transition.  As electric vehicles (EVs) go mainstream, the state is focused on rapidly deploying funds to meet the surge in demand and ensure an accessible, reliable, and convenient charging network.

“California continues to prove the naysayers and skeptics wrong because our innovation is simply unmatched. Our policies helped lay the groundwork for our transition to clean cars – and now Californians are making the switch in record numbers. Clean cars are here, and they’re here to stay – thanks to California.”

California’s ZEV record

Since Governor Newsom’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.

• 25.7% of all new cars sold in California last quarter were ZEVs, according to the California Energy Commission

  • 118,181 ZEV new car sales in Q2 of 2024, an average of 1,300 sold each day

  • 1,996,931 total new ZEV sales to date

• 34% of new ZEVs sold in the U.S. are sold in California, according to the California Air Resources Board

• 60 ZEV and ZEV-related manufacturers are operating in California — leading the nation in ZEV manufacturing jobs.

• 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, plus over 500,000 at-home chargers.

Building a bigger, better charging network

Just this year, the state approved a $1.9 billion plan to build a bigger, better charging network. California is also expected to receive more than $380 million from President Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

State agencies are working to speed up charger deployment, cut through red tape, establish guidelines, plan for the expected increased grid demand, and efficiently electrify charging stations through local utilities. This includes:

• Gathering better data on EV charger counts.

• Prioritizing shovel-ready projects for both state and federal incentives.

• Developing the Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Plan (ZIP), a comprehensive plan that lays out the overall strategy to meet California’s ZEV goals.

• Establishing reliability standards.

California’s refreshed building standards also play a role in deploying ZEV infrastructure, which require pre-wiring for EV charging installations, also play a role in deploying ZEV infrastructure.