LOS ANGELES: One-in-five new cars sold in California in 2022 was a zero-emission vehicle, the state said on Saturday, as the largest car market in the United States charges towards its goal of electrifying its fleet.
Last year officials set ambitious targets for boosting the number of electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) on the roads, as they look to slash planet-warming gases produced by combustion engines.
The California Air Resources Board announced in August the sale of new gasoline and diesel-powered cars would be eliminated by 2035, setting an aggressive timeline to phase them out.
On Friday the California Energy Commission said 18.8 percent of new cars sold in the state in 2022 were EVs, PHEVs or fuel cell electric vehicles, all of which California includes in its zero-emission category.
Ten years ago, that figure was two percent.
“California continues to lead the zero-emission vehicle revolution with groundbreaking policies and investments that drive innovation, create good jobs and expand (zero-emission vehicle) access and affordability across the state,” said Governor Gavin Newsom.
“Keeping our focus on the communities that are most impacted by the intensifying climate crisis, we´ll keep pushing ahead to make our clean transportation future a reality in California.”
Data showed Tesla continued to dominate the market for EVs, with around two-thirds of the 346,000 zero-emission vehicles sold in the year being made by Elon Musk´s company.
Source: AFP
