Electric vehicles make up nearly a fifth of sales in California: Is Tesla’s lead shrinking?
California electric vehicle sales rebound in 2022, with Tesla once again leading the way. But could expanding electric vehicle sales by other automakers threaten Tesla’s lead?
First, 2022 is another good year for zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) sales in California. This week, the California Energy Commission (CEC) reported new light ZEV sales of 345,818 units for the year, including 292,496 battery-powered vehicles, 50,748 plug-in hybrids and 2,574 fuel-cell vehicles.
Electric vehicles totaled 16% of California’s 2022 new-vehicle sales, continuing the momentum from mid-2022, when electric vehicles Break 15% of the car market for the first time in California.
2023 Tesla Model Y – Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.
Tesla sold 212,586 vehicles in California in 2022, accounting for 73% of all electric vehicles for the year. The automaker’s lineup also locked the top spots. The Model 3 was the best-selling electric vehicle in California in 2022 with sales of 94,683 units, followed by the Model Y (93,872), Model X (13,319) and Model S (10,712).
After the Tesla, the Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV combined are a distant second, then the Mustang Mach-E, then the Hyundai Ioniq 5. But each of those models sold less than 10,000 units for the year — even more. lower than either the Model X or the Model S individually. Ford also delivered just 2,233 F-150 Lightning pickups in California last year, despite apparent enthusiasm for that model.
However, Tesla’s 2022 California sales figures also hint at a year-end decline. This automaker accounts for 78% of the electric vehicle market in California in Q1 2022, but 73% for the whole year. But looking at the 2021 results from the same interface, no, it looks like Tesla’s lead hasn’t shrunk yet and we’re still waiting for a single automaker to scale up. similar way.
2023 Tesla Model X – Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.
Other automakers will need to ramp up efforts significantly to meet California’s ambitious goals. The state still has a plan end to sales of new internal combustion vehicles in 2035—if you don’t consider plug-in hybrids.
Even if that policy were in place, it would take a long time for the fleet to turn around. Electric vehicles currently account for only 1.7% light vehicle population in California, according to CEC. As a result, petrol and diesel vehicles will likely remain on the road long after the new-vehicle cut-off date.
