California Blows A Massive Fats EV Gross sales Raspberry At The Haters

Final Up to date on: thirty first July 2025, 05:57 pm

With zero emission automobiles accounting for a wholesome 21.6% of all new automobile gross sales in California throughout Q2 this yr, the California Power Fee couldn’t resist rubbing the excellent news within the face of US President Trump, Republicans in Congress, and anybody else who nonetheless clings to the notion that EV gross sales are destined to spiral down into the dustbin of historical past. The company’s newest press launch is a welcome dose of actuality following reviews that a few of Tesla’s model popularity troubles have rubbed off on your entire EV market.

Tesla, Model Status, & EV Gross sales

The newest gloom and doom about EV gross sales comes from a research printed within the journal Humanities and Social Sciences Communications on July 28, beneath the self-explanatory title, “Liberals are much less keen to purchase Teslas than different electrical automobiles, moderated by perceptions of Elon Musk.” The findings have been based mostly on 5 rigorous surveys carried out by the analysis crew from November 2023 to Might of this yr.

Going by the research title alone, that’s not a very dire warning. In any case, many different EV choices can be found to anybody who desires to spend money on a zero emission trip however is turned off by the chainsaw wielding, Nazi-adjacent stylings of Tesla CEO Elon Musk. What’s regarding — as highlighted right here and right here by CleanTechnica — is one other discovering in the identical research.

“Liberals confirmed declining intentions to buy Teslas in contrast with different EVs, and, to a lesser extent, declining intentions to buy EVs usually,” the authors summarized (emphasis added).

Ouch! On July 30 The Guardian picked up the story and ran with it beneath the title, “Elon Musk is popping US liberals off not simply Tesla however electrical automobiles usually,” to emphasise the knock-on impact.

It’s no comfort that the researchers discovered the overall impact on EV intentions to be much less pronounced than the Tesla-specific impact. Even a minor distinction may very well be sufficient to pull EV gross sales down.

Tesla, Girls, & EV Gross sales

To complicate issues additional, there may be already one other issue dragging EV gross sales down, and that’s the EV gross sales gender hole. Whereas all 5 surveys within the new research included 56% girls and 44% males, that proportion isn’t reflective of EV possession within the US.

The 56-44 proportion does observe with the gender breakdown amongst new automobile patrons within the US, which skews closely in direction of girls. In honor of Girls’s Historical past Month final yr, for instance, the web automobile buying web site TruCar famous that girls straight account for 62% of all new automobile purchases. Girls are additionally credited with straight influencing 85% of latest automobile gross sales total.

In an fascinating twist, TruCar moreover notes that 43% of ladies “nonetheless don’t belief the automotive business.” If 43% of ladies didn’t belief the auto business usually as of 2024, a far higher proportion actually, actually didn’t belief the EV business usually and Tesla specifically, not less than not sufficient to drag their weight in EV gross sales.

The EV gross sales gender hole is a well-known, effectively documented phenomenon. Final yr a research by the analysis agency Escalent, for instance, discovered that EV “possession, buying and consciousness are largely male-dominated, with males making up 71% of householders and 74% of customers.”

That’s according to statistics on Tesla possession compiled by the agency Hedges & Firm. In a 2025 replace, they observe that Tesla possession throughout all fashions skews 74% male.

California Celebrates Robust EV Gross sales, Once more

I’ve reached out to the research authors to see if they’ll present some further context for the EV gross sales gender hole. Within the meantime, let’s check out that new press launch from the California Power Fee.

“Regardless of the White Home’s focused assault on zero-emission automobiles (ZEVs), over 100,000 ZEVs have been newly registered in California in Q2 of 2025, showcasing Californians’ continued pursuit of zippy, zero-emission vehicles over polluting gas-powered ones,” CEC enthused. “ZEVs” refers to each battery-electric and gasoline cell-electric automobiles, with FCEVs accounting for a vanishingly small proportion of gross sales.

CEC does observe that the Q2 gross sales determine of 100,671 ZEVs is barely down from 2024. Nonetheless, within the context of the challenges confronted by EV makers and the US auto business usually, that’s not a nasty displaying. CEC lists “tariff whiplash, the dismantling of ZEV incentives, and unlawful clawbacks of federal funding for electrical automobile (EV) charging infrastructure” amongst different setbacks.

“Californians are making it clear: ZEVs are right here to remain,” CEC concludes, noting that complete ZEV gross sales have now shot past the two.3 million market up to now.

“Regardless of Trump’s full-on assault, Californians are selecting the clear simplicity of ZEVs. We’re saying no to inhaling fumes at fuel stations and dealing with soiled fuel nozzles,” emphasised CEC Commissioner Nancy Skinner in a press assertion.

The CEC press launch additionally echoes the brand new research’s discovering of a possible knock-on impact by Tesla’s model popularity disaster on total EV gross sales. CEC notes that the considerably modest year-on-year decline in EV gross sales in California tracks with a decline in Tesla gross sales. In distinction, the company notes, “non-Tesla ZEV gross sales stay sturdy and steady.” It could be far more reassuring if non-Tesla gross sales elevated sufficient to offset the decline in Tesla gross sales, however such is the world we dwell in.

Nonetheless, CEC reminds that 150 ZEV fashions are presently accessible on the market in California, up 35% over Q2 final yr. “Make no mistake: California isn’t backing down from its ZEV targets. We’ll proceed to closely spend money on accessible and dependable ZEV infrastructure, making the ZEV driving expertise higher every day,” Skinner emphasizes.

The EV Charging Angle

CEC additionally advises that its funding in EV charging infrastructure isn’t going to evaporate simply because Trump and his Republican allies and Congress want to want it away. In any case, US presidents come and go, and this one will probably be gone — peacefully one hopes, this time — in about 3.5 years, whereas a very good EV charger ought to final about 10-15 years or extra, relying on utilization and upkeep elements.

“Over 178,000 public or shared non-public electrical automobile charging ports have been put in all through California, plus over 700,000 at-home charging ports,” CEC notes, including that 94% of California residents dwell inside 10 minutes of an EV charger.

In associated information from CEC, earlier this yr the company awarded a $3.8 million grant to the startup SWTCH Power, geared toward offering on-site EV charging to 34 multifamily properties beneath the umbrella of the main US-headquartered actual property agency Greystar.

Maintain on to your hats. The information is critical as a result of it will possibly assist uncork an untapped reservoir of EV gross sales amongst residents of multifamily buildings who in any other case lack entry to the all-important comfort of dwelling EV charging. If Greystar is glad with the outcomes of the SWTCH venture California, it may very well be the primary amongst many. Greystar payments itself as the biggest operator of residences within the US, with a sprawling world footprint as well.

Picture: California celebrates one other sturdy quarter for non-Tesla EV gross sales and vows to maintain preventing US President Trump’s “full-on assault” in opposition to zero emission mobility (courtesy of CEC).