Source: Zero Emission Vehicle and Infrastructure Statistics, California Energy Commission; E-4 Population Estimates, California Department of Finance
Analysis by CEC Economics
Highlights
- Although vehicle ownership rates across all powertrains, defined as vehicles registered per capita, has been hovering above the median rate of 74.2 vehicles per 100 people, vehicle ownership rate excluding ZEVs and hybrid electric vehicles reached a new low of 67.3% in 2023.40 The recent shift is important as it signals the electrification of the transportation sector, California’s largest greenhouse gas emitting sector, is picking up momentum as consumers increasingly choose electric and electrified vehicles over internal combustion engine vehicles.
- The increase in total vehicle ownership rate from 2022 (74.9%) to 2023 (75.1%) is entirely due to an increase in vehicle ownership rate of ZEVs, which jumped from 2.8% in 2022 to 3.9% in 2023. In other words, there were 3.9 ZEVs registered per 100 California residents in 2023, a significant jump compared to even just five years ago, when there were only 1.1 ZEVs registered per 100 Californians in 2018.
40 ZEVs are defined as battery electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).
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