Tesla is still growing in its biggest market, deliveries increased by 57% in California in 2015

It’s difficult to get accurate delivery numbers for Tesla in the US since the company doesn’t disclose sales by market, but in California, which is Tesla’s biggest market in the US by far, we can follow state rebates for clean vehicles in order to get a good idea of Tesla’s growth in the state.

In California, car buyers are eligible to up to $5,000 in rebate at the purchase of an electric vehicle under the Air Resources Board’s Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP).

As of now, the CVRP is a fairly effective way to follow the growth of electric vehicles in the state, but it will not be as accurate starting in mid-March when certain individuals and households with gross annual incomes above certain thresholds will be made ineligible for CVRP rebates: $250,000 for single filers, $340,000 for head-of-household filers and $500,000 for joint filers.

Based on the CVRP, Tesla delivered 8,931 vehicles in 2015 or about 18% of Tesla’s total deliveries during the year, more than in any other market.

California contributed significantly to Tesla’s record deliveries of 17,400 cars during the fourth quarter with 3,009 deliveries. Of course, for the first time not only Model S’s contributed to Tesla’s sales in California. The company could have delivered up to 200 Model X units during the last 3 months of the year.

Again based on the CVRP rebates, deliveries are up 57% versus 2014, when Tesla delivered 5,676 Model S’s in the state. It will be interesting to follow in the coming months how the new income thresholds will impact the distribution of rebates to new Tesla buyers in California.