According to a new California Energy Commission (CEC) report released on Wednesday, over 25% of all cars sold in the second quarter of 2023 were electric, putting California on pace to have 100% all electric car sales by 2035.
While electric cars have seen steady growth in California since the 2000’s, the state didn’t see a drastic rise in sales until 2020. Between 2018 and 2020, sales lingered at around 7%-8% of all new cars sold being electric.
However, in September 2020, Gavin Newsom issued an order of a staggered plan requiring that 35% of all new cars sold in California in 2026 to be electric or hybrids, 68% by 2030, and 100% by 2035.
Newsom’s order was quickly met with criticism. While many car manufacturers were generally in line to do so, many in state and federal government, including the head of the EPA, questioned the decision. However, after gas prices rose to new highs earlier this year nationwide, with Californians seeing amongst the highest in the nation, public and governmental reception warmed. Despite numerous problems associated with the 2035 plan, including concerns of enough electricity being available to power cars and battery component issues that could potentially make the 2035 plan impossible, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved the 2035 plan in August 2022, making national and international news.
As a result, electric car sales also shot up dramatically. In 2021, roughly 12% of all new car sales were electric. Last year, the percentage approached 18%. And in the first quarter of this year, figures were over 20%. Even more, the state has been meeting electric vehicle goals much sooner than expected. In 2012, then-Governor Jerry Brown had set a 1.5 million total electric car sales figure to meet by 2025. In April, California managed to meet that figure two years ahead of schedule.
These figures led the announcement on Wednesday, when the CEC declared that California’s total percentage of electric/hybrid vehicles sold during the second quarter of 2023 now stood at 25.4% . With sales being at roughly 17% last year, California is currently on pace to reach the 35% mark before the 2026 target date. According to the CEC, California also has a large presence in the electric market nationwide, with 34% of new electric vehicles sold in the U.S. being sold in the Golden State.
“California is showing the world what’s possible – fostering innovation and creating space for an industry to flourish,” said Governor Newsom in a statement on Wednesday. “The proof is in the numbers: 1 in 4 new cars sold in our state are zero-emission – and thanks to our unparalleled incentives that make it cheaper than ever, we’re not leaving anyone behind.”
25% of all vehicles sold in California now electric
However, despite the important milestone, experts warned that the rise of electric cars, while good in combatting carbon emissions and climate change, could put a huge strain on the state’s electric grid in the coming years while California continues to switch over from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.
“Energy consumption is a big drawback to electric vehicles,” explained Veronica Deer, an auto industry analyst who focuses on the electric market, to the Globe on Thursday. “The state has said that they can handle it, but many remain doubtful. There were huge grid problems last year, and California has clearly contradicted themselves, as they have asked electric car owners to not charge their cars during days when the grid was stressed. Asking electric car owners not to charge their cars because you can’t provide enough electricity is a warning sign that they can’t handle it right now.
“Also, remember that this isn’t really an environmental thing for most people right now. In ten years, it will be because it is mandatory to buy electric in California. But right now, it is mostly due to gas prices. And at that, a huge part of the demand has been for hybrid cars, with a huge shortage both in California and nationwide. People still don’t fully trust electric cars, and finding enough places to charge them, and quickly charge them at that, is still frustrating for most people.
“The 25% mark is encouraging, but before this is a true celebration, California needs to ensure that enough power is there, and technology needs to keep up so that the consumer only has to wait for a full charge in their car for about the same time as it takes to fill a tank of gas now and have it be charged at a charging station that are plentiful as gas stations are now. That’s where we need to be to truly make this work. And we obviously still have a long way to go.”
Q3 2023 electric car sales figures are due to be released by the CEC later this year.
