California, an electric vehicle “mecca”
Besides representing nearly 46% (some 95,000 units) of the new electric vehicle (EV) registrations in the United States in 2018, the state of California also accounts for 59% of the market share of all registered EVs in the country, making it the “mecca” of the U.S. EV market.
Much of this is due to government incentives. For instance, California was the first to launch the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) program‚ a state regulation that pushes automakers to sell electric cars and trucks in the state.
Among the states that have followed California after its launch are Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Meanwhile, to push medium to heavy-duty EV sales, the state is also carrying out its Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP) as well as its Low NOx Engine Incentives, both of which were created by the California Air Resources program.
HVIP helps build the market by reducing the cost (by some 50%) of these vehicles for truck and bus fleets that purchase and operate vehicles in the state.
With a 2018 GDP of $3 trillion ($76,000 per capita), California represents 14.4% of the U.S. total of $20.9 trillion, the most of any state. Among the best-selling EVs in the country are the Tesla Model 3, Chevrolet Bolt, and Nissan Leaf.
Chevrolet Bolt waiting at a stoplight in Sunnyvale, California (Source: Shutterstock)
Join Global Fleet in Miami June 4-6 for networking and talks about vehicle fleet and mobility in the United States and other countries, during Global Fleet Conference 2019.
