California Takes A ZEV Gross sales Victory Lap, Trump Or No Trump

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California hit one other ZEV gross sales milestone final month, and state officers didn’t waste any time sending the message to US President Donald Trump together with anyone else aiming to put obstacles within the path of the automobile electrification motion: US presidents come and go, and so do members of Congress, however transportation decarbonization is right here to remain.

California To Trump: Look At Our ZEV Gross sales, Nyah, Nyah, Nyah

The most recent ZEV numbers from the California Power Fee rolled out final week, which means a mix of 100% battery EVs, plug-in hybrid EVs, and a vanishingly small variety of gasoline cell EVs. “Throughout the fourth quarter of 2025, Californians bought 79,066 new zero-emission automobiles (ZEVs), representing 18.9% of recent automotive gross sales. Throughout this timeframe, California surpassed 2.5 million new ZEV gross sales, an necessary milestone for the state,” CEC introduced on January 20.

“Every quarter, even within the face of accelerating federal headwinds, tens of 1000’s of customers are buying a ZEV within the Golden State,” CEC Commissioner Nancy Skinner mentioned, referring obliquely to the untimely loss of life of the $7,500 EV tax credit score final September 30, amongst different headwinds.

The Chair of the California Air Assets Board, Lauren Sanchez, chipped in her two cents, too. “Whereas the federal authorities reversed and put up roadblocks, the worldwide zero-emission automobile market surged forward final 12 months,” Sanchez reminded everybody.

CEC additionally took the chance to remind everybody that ZEV are simply higher. “Not solely do ZEVs cut back air air pollution, however they’re additionally enjoyable and highly effective to drive and value much less to keep up in comparison with gas-powered automobiles,” CEC enthused.

It’s Official: ZEVs Clear Up Neighborhood Air

Brief as it’s, CEC’s quickie plug for zero-emission automobiles underscores a big shift within the various automobile gross sales and advertising technique, from an environmental option to the much less politically fraught attraction to pocketbooks and efficiency.

The be aware about decreasing air air pollution additionally displays a shift in focus from stopping catastrophic local weather change to enhancing native air high quality, and that’s the place the brand new USC analysis is available in.

The researchers zeroed in on light-duty automobiles (automobiles, SUVs, pickup vehicles, and vans). They divided California into 1,692 neighborhoods much like zip code delineations, and in contrast ZEV registrations in every neighborhood with knowledge from a high-resolution satellite tv for pc sensor that measures pollution, together with the tailpipe emission nitrogen dioxide.

Masking the interval from 2019 to 2023, the workforce discovered that NO₂ ranges dropped 1.1% for each 200 ZEVs registered. Concurrently, in addition they confirmed that neighborhoods experiencing an increase in gas-powered automobiles throughout that interval additionally skilled an increase in air pollution (see the total research right here or a abstract right here).

The advance in air high quality from electrical automobiles was small however vital, contemplating that NO₂ is linked to bronchial asthma, bronchitis, and elevated threat of coronary heart illness and stroke. As well as, as of 2023, solely a small proportion of all automobiles registered in California have been zero emission. Based on the USC workforce, zero emission registrations rose from 2% to five% of all automobiles by the top of the research interval, leaving loads of area for additional reductions in NO₂ emissions because the switchover to electrical automobiles continues.

The researchers — primarily based on the Keck College of Medication — additionally be aware {that a} 2023 research deploying ground-based screens recommended a hyperlink with out reaching a definitive conclusion. The swap to high-resolution satellite tv for pc knowledge crammed within the hole, serving to to cement the science and public well being case for persevering with to fund satellite-based monitoring.

Subsequent steps for the workforce embody documenting “real-world” public well being impacts by evaluating their knowledge with statistics on emergency visits and hospitalization remedies for bronchial asthma in California.

So … What About Tesla?

In fact, no story concerning the California auto market is full with no point out of business chief Tesla, and that’s the place issues get attention-grabbing.

By way of total new automobile gross sales in California, fuel or electrical, Tesla was using excessive in years previous, holding down the #2 place with solely Toyota to beat. Nevertheless, the newest report from the commerce group California New Automobile Sellers Affiliation displays the corporate’s ongoing model popularity disaster.

CNCDA famous that Toyota as soon as once more claimed the #1 spot in 2025 at 17.8% market share, however Honda inched previous Tesla to assert #2 at 10.8%.

“In contrast, Tesla registrations declined 11.4 p.c in 2025 with market share dropping from 11.6 p.c in 2024 to 9.9 p.c in 2025 because it slipped to 3rd place within the state,” CNCDA reported.

“This extends a two-year downward pattern for Tesla regardless of the short-term enhance from federal incentives,” they added with a twist of the knife (see tons extra background on Tesla gross sales right here).

Tesla Or Not, ZEVs Are Right here To Keep

“Downward pattern” is placing it mildly. In July of 2025, CleanTechnica took be aware of the outsized influence of Tesla on total ZEV gross sales in California, which rode on Tesla’s coattails within the early 2000s solely to falter alongside Tesla’s crash-and-burn efficiency lately, broadly attributed to CEO Elon Musk’s outsized affect on right-wing politics.

Different automakers made up a few of the distinction. Although, as of final August, Tesla nonetheless outsold its EV rivals in California by an extended shot.

Whereas Tesla remains to be sitting within the BEV catbird seat, its grasp on the general ZEV market is, properly, not such a positive factor. In contrast to legacy automakers and a few EV startups (taking a look at you, Scout Motors), Tesla has steadfastly refused to dip its toes within the hybrid gas-electric waters, and that will come again to hang-out it.

“Notably, hybrid gross sales barely outpaced ZEV gross sales in This autumn alone, capturing 20.4 p.c of the market, reflecting sustained shopper curiosity in lower-emission choices that don’t require set up of charging infrastructure or main way of life modifications,” CNDC reported.

Competitors can also be looming throughout the BEV discipline. Regardless of the lack of the federal EV tax credit score, and no matter pullbacks on EV plans by some automakers, new exercise continues to stir within the US market. Toyota, for instance, is following via on plans to deliver an all-electric model of its C-HR crossover to the US this 12 months, which is an attention-grabbing transfer contemplating {that a} gas-powered model of the automotive failed to achieve traction right here.

Tesla, and different automakers, may also need to cope with a coming tsunami of off-lease used EVs available on the market. If in case you have any ideas about that, drop a be aware within the remark thread.

Picture: California continues to have fun sturdy ZEV gross sales regardless of the efforts of President Trump, and his Republican enablers in Congress, to throttle down the automobile electrification motion (courtesy of CEC).