EVs close to a fifth of California gross sales: Is Tesla’s lead shrinking?

California EV gross sales elevated once more in 2022, with Tesla as soon as once more taking the lead. However may different automakers’ expanded EV gross sales threaten Tesla’s top-dog standing?

Firstly, 2022 was one other good yr for zero-emission automobile (ZEV) gross sales in California. This week, the California Energy Commission (CEC) reported 345,818 new light-duty ZEV gross sales for the yr, together with 292,496 battery-electric automobiles, 50,748 plug-in hybrids, and a couple of,574 fuel-cell automobiles.

The EV whole represents 16% of 2022 California new-vehicle gross sales, persevering with the momentum from mid-2022, when EVs cracked 15% of the automobile market in California for the primary time.

2023 Tesla Mannequin Y – Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

Tesla bought 212,586 automobiles in California in 2022, representing 73% of the EV whole for the yr. The automaker’s lineup additionally locked out the highest slots. The Mannequin 3 was the bestselling EV in California in 2022 with 94,683 gross sales, adopted by the Mannequin Y (93,872), Mannequin X (13,319) and Mannequin S (10,712).

After Tesla, the Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV mixed are a distant second, then the Mustang Mach-E, then Hyundai Ioniq 5. However every of these fashions have been lower than 10,000 gross sales for the yr—even decrease than the Mannequin X or Mannequin S individually. Ford additionally delivered simply 2,233 F-150 Lightning pickups in California final yr, regardless of obvious enthusiasm for that mannequin.

But Tesla’s 2022 California gross sales figures additionally trace at a decline towards the top of the yr. The automaker had 78% of the California EV market in Q1 2022, however 73% for the yr total. However 2021 outcomes from the identical interface, no, it does not seem that Tesla’s lead is shrinking fairly but, and we’re nonetheless ready for a single automaker to scale up in the identical method.

2023 Tesla Mannequin X – Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

Different automakers might want to considerably ramp up their efforts to fulfill California’s bold targets. The state nonetheless plans to place an finish to new internal-combustion automobile gross sales by 2035—when you do not take into account plug-in hybrids.

Even with that coverage in place, it should take a very long time for the fleet to show over. EVs presently make up simply 1.7% of the light-duty vehicle population in California, in accordance with the CEC. So gasoline and diesel automobiles will seemingly stay on the street lengthy after the cutoff date for new-vehicle gross sales.