California has hit a major plug-in car milestone this week: Since the first electric vehicle was sold back in 2010, more than 100,000 others have now hit the streets.
The figures have been compiled by the California Plug-In Electric Vehicle Collaborative.
The number is impressive on its own, but also means that California accounts for around 40 percent of national plug-in vehicle sales.
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In addition, it puts the state in a good position to reach Governor Brown's target of 1.5 million electric cars on the road by 2025.
It should come as little surprise that California is leading the march towards electric car adoption.
Cleaner vehicles have been a priority for the state ever since the 1960s and 1970s, when clouds of smog choked cities like Los Angeles.
CARB, the California Air Resources Board, has been instrumental in generating conditions ideal for electric vehicles, from alternative-fuel incentive programs through low-emission vehicle standards, to the low-carbon fuel standard.
It has since taken hybrid cars to its heart--Toyota's Prius has topped sales charts in California several times over the past few years--and is doing likewise with electric vehicles.
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California Plug-In Electric Vehicle Collaborative Executive Director Christine Kehoe says that the state's plug-in vehicle market is "ramping up", and the group expects "significant growth" over the next ten years as customers become more familiar with the benefits of electric cars.
"Drivers want high quality, high performing vehicles that use less or even no gasoline at all" adds General Motors’ Robert Babik.
"We're proud that Chevrolet and Cadillac's line-up of plug in vehicles is helping to meet the growing demand head on."
For Nissan too, California has been an important state, leading the firm's 60,000-vehicle U.S. tally. Ford touts its range of plug-in vehicles available to Californians, including the Focus Electric--one of several electric cars to hit Californian roads before being made available in other states.
Utilities too are aiding the push, allowing drivers of plug-in cars to travel around at a gasoline equivalent cost of $1 per gallon.
Throw in accessible charging and the influence of high-profile electric automakers like Tesla Motors, and it's unsurprising to discover that California is the first state to top 100,000 sales.
There's every chance the next 100,000 will take a lot less than four years.
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