California EV sales continue to slow

California electric vehicle sales declined for the third straight quarter but are leveling off after last year’s steep drop, according to California Energy Commission data released Wednesday.

Car dealers sold 102,507 new light-duty EVs through the first three months of this year, accounting for 24.1 percent of all vehicles sold in the state over that time period. Those numbers are slight decreases from the fourth quarter of 2023, which saw 103,127 EVs sold and a 24.7 percent market share.

While the figures don’t represent growth, they are encouraging after California — by far the nation’s largest EV market, accounting for a quarter of sales last year — saw a rapid decline through the back half of 2023.

Auto market analysts say California has largely exhausted its demand among early adopters and is moving into a new phase of market development where it needs to win over everyday consumers in order to meet its target of transitioning to all zero-emission new-car sales by 2035.