California enjoyed an unprecedented growth in the plug-in segment of its automobile market during the second quarter (Q2) of 2023. During the April through June quarter of this year, one in every four new cars sold in California was a zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV). In other words, 25 per cent of all vehicles sold in the state were plug-in vehicles, which marked a significant milestone and, of course, set a new record.

According to stats released by Veloz and the California Energy Commission (CEC), the cumulative plug-in car sales surpassed the mark of 1.6 million units. In the month of April, the state celebrated cumulative sales of nearly 1.5 million zero emission vehicles, a couple of years earlier than expected. It is a strong indication that the process of vehicle electrification in the state is in full swing.

It may be noted here that light-duty zero emission vehicles include battery electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) as well as hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs). PHEVs become zero-emission vehicles only when they are driven in the all-electric driving mode.

A deeper analysis of the available stats also revealed that the Golden State represents slightly more than a third (34 per cent) of all new plug-in cars that were sold in the U.S. market in the latest quarter.

In the Q2 period of this year, a total of 125,939 new zero emission vehicles (including BEVs, PHEVs and FCVs) were sold in the state, up 59 per cent year-over-year, and accounting for 25.4 per cent of the total volume. It marked the plug-in segment’s new record in terms of sales in the state.

Cumulative sales since the year of 2011 was recorded at 1,623,211 units, including 1,146,312 BEVs, 460,602 PHEVs, and 16,297 FCVs. In the whole of the nation, during the same period, cumulative sales jumped to 3,916,106 million units.

Throughout the nation, Q2 sales of plug-in cars (BEVs, PHEVs and FCVs) have been recorded at 370,409 units, which also set a new record.

With a total of 223,298 units sold in the first six months of this year, California is said to be on the track for sales of 450,000 units in 2023. Let's recall that the Golden State has set a goal to have at least 5 million zero emission vehicles running on its road by the end of current decade.