If you bought and registered a Tesla Model 3 in the state of California last year, congratulations. You are No. 1.
That is, you are the tops of those who bought fully electric cars in the state in 2018, according to new data released by the California New Car Dealers Association (CNCDA). And the number of new Model 3s that went on the road illustrates the place Tesla has in the mindset of electric car buyers.
The CNCDA said that among electric cars, 51,293 new Tesla Model 3s were registered in California last year. To put that number in perspective, 92,447 total electric cars were registered in the state in 2018 — and the number of Model 3s sold last year surpassed the entirety of the 51,176 electric cars registered in 2017.
“We are pleased to see that consumers are increasingly choosing the option of zero-emission vehicles,” Ted Nicholas, CNCDA’s chairperson, said in a statement announcing the results. “Factors like charging infrastructure, convenience, range and affordability all come into play when consumers purchase a vehicle.”
Tesla, in a move aimed at adding to its Model 3 sales, last week unveiled a new version of the car that comes with a base sticker price of $35,000 before federal tax credits and anticipated savings from gasoline purchases.
Of the top-selling “alternative powertrain vehicles,” which include full-electric, gas-electric hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars, the CNCDA said Tesla grabbed three of the top 10 registration spots on its list. In addition to the Model 3, Tesla’s Model S came in fifth, with 10,120 registrations, and its Model X recorded 8,925 registrations, good for seventh.
However, despite the gains made by electric and hybrid vehicles last year, traditional gas-powered vehicles continued to blow their alternative-powered kin off the state’s highways in terms of new-car registrations.
The CNCDA said that Californians registered 1,633,789 new gas-powered vehicles in 2018, but that figure was down 4.7 percent from the 1,714,824 such vehicles registered in 2017.
Nicholas said that factors such as the availability of battery-charging stations, car-battery range and the affordability of electric and hybrid cars are going to remain on the minds of consumers when they choose whether or not to make the switch from a gas-powered car or truck.
“California has a long way to go to overcome challenges, support the needs of zero-emission vehicles, and get consumer buy-in for this advanced technology,” Nicholas said.