And some areas are doing even better, with Alameda, San Francisco, and Santa Clara counties posting a 40% ZEV sales share in the second quarter of the year. Overall, ZEV sales numbers are up to 223,298 units just this year, though California's overall light-duty vehicle count in 2022 was over 28 million units.
The first half of the year also marks a new crossroads for California, as Tesla has become the top-selling brand in California, edging out Toyota with a 14.6% market share. Similarly, the Tesla Model Y was the best-selling vehicle at large in California, beating out the previously best-selling Toyota Camry and Toyota RAV4. Additionally, the Chevy Bolt EV and EUV made up 8% of battery-electric vehicle sales, in a win for small, affordable EVs.
If California is truly on the way to all-EV sales by 2035, what needs to happen next? Well, the Union for Concerned Scientists outlines a few key actions in its analysis of California's EV trends. Specifically, the group calls for automakers to adopt or develop a single charging standard, as seamless and widely available charging is public ally number one.
In a push to 100% EV sales, Tal says low-income populations and other marginalized groups have the potential to be left behind, meaning a combination of government regulations and market factors need to push automakers to create cheap-to-buy, cheaper-to-run vehicles. And a continually tailored set of government incentives will be crucial as well, Tal says.
"We will need some incentives for the long run because of environmental justice issues, as some communities will need more help, particularly if they're rural or low income," Tal tells. "Because when we push to 100%, we are slowly going to segments that have more barriers, right?"