California’s Plug-In Electric Vehicle Fleet To Surpass 250,000 Milestone This Month

November 16th, 2016 by James Ayre

The plug-in electric vehicle fleet in California has grown rapidly over the last few years, partly down to the substantial support that the government there provides, though partly due to the presence of companies such as Tesla, a greener focus in the state, wealthier citizens, and associated culture.

According to the California Plug-In Electric Vehicle Collaborative, the state’s plug-in electric vehicle fleet will be surpassing the 250,000 units milestone sometime this month — just in time for the Los Angeles Auto Show.

In other words, since plug-in electric vehicles first started hitting the Californian market in serious numbers back in 2010, there have been a quarter of a million of them sold there. Not bad, though hopefully the speed of adoption will continue accelerating.

“Just a few years ago, you could count the number of plug-in models on one hand. Times have changed,” stated PEV Collaborative Executive Director Christine Kehoe. “Today, anyone thinking about buying a car can check out more than 30 electric models. And with federal and state rebates, they are more affordable than ever.”

While that may be true, things should still be improving significantly over the next few years — as the Chevy Bolt EV, the Tesla Model 3, the refreshed Nissan Leaf, and other “affordable” but long-range plug-in vehicles hit the market.

Notably, even Chrysler is now set to soon release a plug-in — the Pacifica plug-in hybrid minivan. The next couple of years should see companies such as Ford and Toyota begin to enter the market in serious ways as well.

“Transitioning to cars with no tailpipe pollution and incentivizing the infrastructure that supports them will help California meet climate change goals and federal clean air standards,” commented Energy Commissioner Janea A Scott, also serving as the chair of the PEVC. “PEV Collaborative member coordination and leadership have played a significant role in helping California meet the milestone we are celebrating today of 250,000 electric vehicles sold to date.”

Photo by Cynthia Shahan for EV Obsession | CleanTechnica | Important Media











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