By Annalize Freimarck. San Jose Spotlight.
Santa Clara County leads the way in electric car purchases as sales soar across the state.
More than 43 percent of new car purchases recorded in the county this year were zero-emission vehicles, the highest figure in the state, according to 2023 California Energy Commission data. Last year the county's share was 34 percent.
Laura Neish, executive director of 350 Bay Area, a grassroots climate organization, said she’s not surprised the county is leading the way in sales because Silicon Valley is “home to early adopters and tech enthusiasts.”
“The most important thing we can do right now is really accelerate the shift from gas-powered vehicles to electric versions,” Neish told San Jose Spotlight.
Neish is a proud electric car owner and said concerns about long-distance travel shouldn’t stop consumers from buying an electric car. He has driven his Volkswagen ID 4, which has a range of 275 miles per charge, from Santa Rosa to Portland, Oregon, which has more than 600 miles and charges along the way.
The average electric car can travel 100 to more than 400 miles on a single charge, depending on the make and model, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The average U.S. driver drives 37 miles per day and an estimated 13,500 miles per year, according to 2023 data from the Department of Transportation.
The most popular electric car in the county according to the CEC is a Tesla Model Y, which can go up to 330 miles on a single charge. The company has built a network of fast-charging infrastructure along major transportation arteries to support its vehicles.
In June, media outlets reported that Tesla’s network of charging stations is quickly becoming the standard, which would make it an easier and more attractive option for consumers buying any brand of electric vehicle. Currently, one of the deterrents is the lack of charging stations for long-distance road trips.
Teslas account for about 67 percent of new electric car sales in the county, about 12 percent higher than in the rest of the state, where they comprise about 55 percent of sales, according to CEC. The commission said it expects the trend to continue as electric car sales are encouraged.
“There is no compelling reason to think this will stop anytime soon,” CEC spokesperson Toan Lam told San Jose Spotlight.
By 2035, all new cars sold in the state must be electric due to a mandate issued by Newsom's office in 2020. The shift will be gradual: 35 percent of new cars sold in 2026 will be electric, 68 percent in 2030 and 100 percent in 2035.
Last year, San Jose incentivized zero-emission cars in disadvantaged and low-income areas, but also ended a decades-old parking incentive program that allowed electric cars to park for free. San Jose councilmembers voted unanimously to create a policy to eliminate the city’s minimum parking requirements for new developments in an effort to reduce its carbon footprint.
The CEC said zero-emission vehicles are part of the solution to reducing emissions in the state, but it also wants to increase city designs that reduce car dependency. The state eliminated parking minimums for new developments near transit stations last year.
Neish said that while the increase in sales is a good start, he wants to see more tax breaks for electric car owners at the state level to boost sales and more legislation aimed at reducing emissions.
“Most cars on the road still burn fuel, and burning fuel creates not only climate change but many dangerous situations for our health,” he said. “Anything we can do to speed that up is a good thing.”
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