California Zero-Emission Vehicle Sales Increase by Over 100 Percent in Two Years, Accounts for 40 Percent of US Sales

Traffic backs up at the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge toll plaza on Aug. 24, 2022. California announced a ban on the sale of new gasoline-powered cars after 2035 in a push to transition to electric vehicles, on Aug. 25, 2022. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The sale of zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) in California has risen by more than 100 percent in two years, with the state making up 40 percent of U.S. sales of such vehicles in 2022 and roughly 19 percent of all cars sold in California.

According to data from the California Energy Commission, 18.8 percent of all new cars sold in the state in 2022 were ZEVs. Last year, ZEV sales in the state were 38 percent higher than in 2021 and 138 percent higher when compared to 2020. In 2021, only 12 percent of cars sold in California were ZEVs. It’s a significant increase, considering that 10 years ago ZEV vehicles made up only 2 percent of sales. California also had 80,027 shared electric vehicle chargers installed across the state.