Often shown as a precursor of tomorrow’s trends, California is dubbing the electric car. In 2022, nearly 20% of new cars sold in the richest state in the United States will be electric or hybrid, California announced on Friday. It was 2% ten years ago. Nearly a century after the rise of the thermal car in Detroit, the West Coast state has also become the country’s leading automobile market, which wants to be at the forefront of the energy transition.
In August, the state regulator announced the ban, from 2035, on the sale of new diesel or gasoline cars.
“California continues to lead the zero-emission vehicle revolution with forward-thinking policies and investments that drive innovation”said Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
On Friday, the California Energy Commission said 18.8% of new cars sold in 2022 were electric, plug-in hybrid or fuel cell.
The electric to conquer the mass market
The Tesla brand, led by Elon Musk, alone benefits from two-thirds of these sales.
California accounts for 40% of the sale of this type of vehicle in the United States, whose market share is growing rapidly. The biggest American manufacturers are now present there, including with models adapted to the local market, such as electric pick-ups.
But electric vehicles remain more expensive than those with combustion engines, and only federal assistance of up to $7,500 allows many buyers to afford them.
It should also be noted that the Biden administration, extending a form of protectionism from its predecessor Donald Trump, intends to support sustainable development projects “made in America”. L’Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provides tax cuts and aid to industries in which the United States intends to maintain leadership.
For its part, Europe has banned the sale of thermal cars in 2035. Until then, manufacturers are working to take the lead. The deployment of charging stations is the other condition for rapid consumer adoption. In Norway, 80% of new cars are already electric.
(With AFP)