California led the way in 2022 for zero-emission (low-emissions, to be factually correct) vehicle sales, with 40% sold going to the Golden State. First reported by Reuters, around 19% of all new vehicles sold in California were zero-emissions, an extremely high figure for the country's most populated state.

California, specifically the California Air Resource Board (CARB), has a decades-long history of progressive environmental legislation and residents that have often far exceeded the rest of the country. The state went to battle with President Trump over its right to set its own standards. Automakers have also had to cater to California's laws because they cannot afford not to sell vehicles there.

If California were a country, it would easily make a list of the top ten car markets globally, easily outselling countries like Brazil, South Korea, France, and the UK.

Last year, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared the state would no longer allow new gasoline-engined vehicle sales beyond 2035. Newsom signed this executive order on the hood of a Ford Mustang Mach-E.

California saw a dramatic increase in zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) sales from 2021 when only 12% of new vehicles sold met that classification. All told, 346,000 ZEVs left California dealership lots in 2022.

The most popular vehicle? The Tesla Model 3 sold an impressive 95,000 examples. And, not at all surprisingly, the Model Y was the second-most popular ZEV with 94,000 units sold.

Pure battery-electric vehicles are certainly popular there but so are plug-in hybrids. 51,000 were sold last year, and roughly 286,000 EVs with a driving range of over 200 miles or more found buyers.

Aside from the impressive number of EVs and PHEVs, California experienced an equally - if not more critical - upgrade: 80,000 new EV chargers were installed throughout the state. At this rate, California will have no problem meeting President Biden's goal of achieving 50% of all new vehicle sales being EV or PHEV by 2030.

Other states, such as Washington, New Jersey, and Oregon, made similar pledges following in California's footsteps, but these states still need an established charging infrastructure. Conversely, Wyoming went in the other direction, but its EV ban lasted less than a week.