California's EV Sales Surge Pushed By Tesla Model 3

California enjoys a significant increase in plug-in car sales

According to the Veloz nonprofit organization, the plug-in electric car sales in California is experiencing accelerated growth, at a rate much higher than in previous years.

In 2018, sales increased to about 177,781 (up 84% year-over-year), which is roughly 49% of the total for the U.S.

December brings a new all-time record of 24,686 (up 100%), so the cumulative sales are now estimated at 537,208 compared to over 1.1 million nationwide.

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We assume that the major driving force for the surge is volume deliveries of the Tesla Model 3 - both in California and the rest of the country.

Veloz’s monthly “Sales Dashboard” tracking news summary:

• Comparing start and end of year electric car sales for 2018, January sales were 5,991 and December sales were 24,686, a 312 percent increase. According to market analysts this number is expected to grow significantly in 2019.
• In contrast, there was only a 122 percent increase from January (5,543) to December (12,323) in 2017.
• 2018 saw year-over-year increases in sales for all twelve months in 2018 compared to 2017.
• Total electric car sales increased 84 percent from 2017 (96,847) to 2018 (177,781).
• There were 100 percent higher electric car sales in California in December 2018 compared to December 2017.
• A notable win for the year includes California selling its 500,000th electric car in November (total sales hit 512,717 at the end of month).

Source: Veloz