Tesla sales are keeping electric car market in California alive

California is the biggest electric car market in the US by far, but it is kept alive by Tesla’s sales, especially the Model 3, as shown by registration data.

Tesla doesn’t break down sales per market, but we can track them in some markets through registration data.

According to registration data gathered by IHS for a California New Car Dealer Association report, Tesla delivered 19,594 vehicles in California during the last quarter.

That’s up 39% compared to the same period last year.

Model 3’s success is responsible for the important increase in deliveries in California year-over-year.

According to the same registration data, Tesla delivered over 33,000 Model 3 vehicles in California so far in 2019, and it’s more than the next four competitors combined:

Model S and Model X sales have been slipping this year, but the vehicles are still in the top three best-sellers in their respective categories.

While Tesla’s sales in its home market are strong in their own segment in the broader auto market, they are dominating electric vehicle sales in California.

Currently, all-electric car sales are at 5.6% of overall car sales in the state:

So far in 2019, 52,807 electric cars were sold in the market, and Tesla is responsible for the vast majority of those sales with 40,085 Tesla vehicles this year.

Here’s the full report from the California New Car Dealer Association report:

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Electrek’s Take

It’s crazy that California is seen as this super-progressive market in the US when it comes to electric vehicles, and yet all-electric car sales still represent only just over 5% of overall car sales.

Then you add in the fact that Tesla is responsible for over 75% of those all-electric car sales.

It goes to show that we need more compelling electric vehicle models like what Tesla is putting on the market, because that’s what is moving the needle.

I am not saying that no one else can do it, but the numbers are pretty obvious right now. A lot of automakers need to do better.

The next two years will bring a lot more diversity in the EV market, and 5% will become over 20% by the end of 2021, in my opinion.