California exceeds clean car goal despite declining federal support

More than 2.5 million electric vehicles have been sold in California since 2010, surpassing one of the state’s electric vehicle goals despite clean energy setbacks brought on by the Trump administration.

This week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the Golden State had exceeded its goal of putting 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles on the roads by 2025.

Former Gov. Jerry Brown set that goal in 2012 with an executive order that also allocated $120 million for charging infrastructure. Before 2010, fewer than 600 zero-emission vehicles had been sold in the state, according to the California Energy Commission.

“California did not reach 2.5 million zero-emission vehicles by accident – ​​we invested in this future when others said it was impossible,” Newsom said in a statement. “California is ensuring American workers and manufacturers can compete and win in the industries that will define this century. »

Shortly after taking office for the second time, President Trump signed an executive order that cut funding for charging infrastructure, eliminated a $7,500 tax incentive for electric vehicles, and abandoned a previous goal that electric vehicles would account for half of new cars sold nationally by 2030.

Inflation and auto prices have also dampened the adoption of electric vehicles, as cash-strapped drivers seek to avoid the higher price of purchasing and insuring an electric vehicle.

Nearly 23% of new vehicles sold in California in 2025 were considered zero-emission vehicles, although electric vehicle sales declined in the state and across the United States compared to the previous year.

California considers plug-in hybrid vehicles zero-emission, even though PHEVs rely on a combination of gas and electricity.

Sales of electric vehicles surged last year before the tax credit expired, as consumers rushed to take advantage of the incentive. After the credit was removed on September 30, sales declined sharply.

Nationally, the share of electric vehicles sold among all new vehicles fell from 10.5% in the third quarter of last year to 5.8% in the fourth quarter, according to Cox Automotive.

Despite the accomplishments touted at Davos, California failed to meet a separate goal approved by the California Air Resources Board in 2022 that 35% of new cars be zero-emission by 2026. The Advanced Clean Cars II rule requires 68% of new cars to be zero-emission by 2030 and 100% by 2035.

In the fourth quarter of 2025, only 18% of new cars sold in the state were zero-emission.

California’s electric vehicle market has again demonstrated resilience in the face of declining federal support.

The state leads the nation in electric vehicle adoption and has a network of more than 200,000 public and shared charging stations, the governor’s office said.

In response to the loss of the federal electric vehicle tax credit, Newsom proposed a $200 million incentive package to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles in his January 9 budget. Private companies are also creating their own incentives, such as Costco, which offers its members $1,000 off several electric Cadillac models.

In addition to consumer incentives, the California Energy Commission’s Clean Transportation Investment Plan includes a $98.5 million allocation for zero-emission light-duty vehicle infrastructure.

“While the federal government has pushed back and put up roadblocks, the global market for zero-emission vehicles has grown over the last year,” Lauren Sanchez, chair of the California Air Resources Board, said in a statement. “Governor Newsom’s new rebate proposal sends a clear message: California is not slowing down, we are still ahead of the pack.