How are we doing?
Electric vehicles and infrastructure received a thumbs down because the number of Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs) on the road and the market share of ZEVs in San Diego County were slightly lower than the state's average. In 2021, electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in California constituted more than 97% of the total ZEVs. ZEVs include battery electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and fuel-cell electric vehicles (hydrogen). For the charging infrastructure, the number of EVs per charger of San Diego County was lower than the state average as well. In San Diego County, more new ZEV rebates were issued in 2021 than in 2020. Across the state, the number of rebates issued dropped in 2020 likely due to the economic conditions of the pandemic and global shortages of car parts.
Rating: Worsening
Electric vehicle deployment remained below California average
The California Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP) offers rebates to California residents for zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) which include battery electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and fuel cell electric vehicles. The rate of zero emission vehicle rebates per 10,000 in San Diego County through CVRP was 13.6 in 2021, slightly above the California statewide average, and 18% higher than in 2020. The number of rebates in all counties were resuming but still lower than the pre-pandemic period. The rebate rate in San Diego County saw its highest in 2018, at 19.4 rebates per 10,000 capita. Based on a survey by the Center for Sustainable Energy, about 80% of the CVRP participants replaced older and more polluting vehicles with their rebated electric vehicles. More than half of the replaced vehicles were at least 5 years older than the rebated vehicle, with 25% being at least 12 years older than the rebated vehicle.
CVRP offers $1,000 to $7,000 rebates to customers who buy or lease an EV. Additionally, all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles that were purchased new in or after 2010 may be eligible for a federal income tax credit of up to $7,500. Depending on a customer's electrical utility or air district, new and used EVs and home charging stations are also eligible for rebate incentives above and beyond the CVRP and federal tax credits.
The California Energy Commission (CEC) tracks the sales and population of light duty ZEVs in California and in each county. At the end of 2021, only 2.7% of light-duty vehicles on the road in San Diego County were ZEVs, close to the California statewide average (2.8%) and the share in Los Angeles County (2.9%). Counties in the Bay Area, such as San Francisco County and Santa Clara County, have higher shares of ZEVs on the road.
Although California has the greatest number of EV registration counts in the U.S., about 39% of EVs nationwide, Norway is the global leader. As of March 2022, Norway had 23% of plug-in passenger cars on the road.
In 2018, Governor Brown signed Executive Order B-48-18, requiring 1.5 million ZEVs on California roads by 2025 and five million by 2030. San Diego’s share of the ZEV goal, based on population, are 129,479 in 2025 and 431,596 in 2030. In 2020, Governor Newsom signed Executive Order N-79-20, setting a 100% ZEV sales for new passenger vehicles by 2035. Eight million light-duty ZEVs will be needed statewide in 2030 to meet the new goal. San Diego’s share of the new goal is 690,554 in 2030.
On August 25th, 2022, the California Air Resources Board voted on the Advanced Clean Cars II regulations to meet more aggressive tailpipe emission standards and require all new passenger cars sold in California to be zero emissions by 2035. The Advanced Clean Trucks Rule 2021 and the Advanced Clean Fleet proposal now being finalized will require manufacturers and suppliers to sell only zero-emission medium and heavy-duty vehicles starting in 2036 and phase out diesel trucks by 2045. Currently, California has the largest zero emission vehicle market in the nation with more than 16% of new light duty vehicles sold being zero emissions or plug-in hybrids. San Diego County reached 16% zero emission vehicles (ZEV) and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) market share in the first two quarters of 2022. The proposed Advanced Clean Cars II regulations also include annual zero-emission vehicle requirements: ZEVs should achieve 35%, 68%, and 100% market shares in 2026, 2030, and 2035, respectively.
As the number of EVs on the road increases, access to public charging will need to expand as well. Public chargers are located in parking spaces accessible to the public, while shared private chargers are only accessible to employees, tenants, visitors, and residents as designated by property owners. One charging station, similar to a gas station, may have one or more chargers available for use. As of January 2022, San Diego County had about 9,600 Level 2 chargers but fewer than 300 DC fast chargers. These chargers include public chargers and shared private chargers. The EV-per-charger ratio shown in the figure can help assess the capacity of the charging network.There was an average of 7 EVs per charging station in San Diego County while the state average is 5 EVs per charging station.
Although there have been improvements in electric vehicle range in recent years, in order to support the 771,000 ZEV goal by 2030, a total of 155,200 chargers will need to be installed throughout San Diego County. This would help persuade more residents to consider switching to an electric vehicle.
Why are electric vehicles important?
High quality of life means the region boasts a thriving economy, a healthy environment, and an equitable place for all San Diegans to grow and prosper.
Economy
California has numerous electric vehicle manufacturing jobs within the state. The state is home to factories owned by Tesla, Proterra, and BYD. California leads the nation’s ZEV market with 1 million EVs sold as of February 2022. This number surpassed the total sales in the next 10 states combined. The EV exports in California in 2020 equaled $5.6 billion in value.
Environment
Road transportation pollutes the air and local environment. Transportation is also San Diego County’s and California's largest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Having more zero-emission vehicles on the road can reduce local GHG emissions and air pollution. Hybrid vehicles and other alternative fuel vehicles may not be zero-emission vehicles, but they can also help reduce the county’s reliance on fossil fuels and reduce pollution. Most recently, the California Air Resources Board voted on the Advanced Clean Cars II regulations to meet more aggressive tailpipe emission standards and require all new passenger cars, trucks, and SUVs sold in California to be zero-emissions by 2035.
Equity
Purchasing a vehicle is a large expense. California laws help make electric vehicles more accessible to low-income residents by authorizing rebates for replacement batteries and fuel cells for owners of secondhand EVs (AB193), providing carpool lane stickers for secondhand EVs (SB957), and prioritizing low-income Californians for first-come first-served rebates on EV purchases until 2022 (AB2885). The CVRP program offers additional rebates for low and moderate-income consumers.
Regional Response
Policies
Policies that address electric vehicles and charging infrastructure are now found in nearly all recent local Climate Action Plans of San Diego County jurisdictions.
The City of Carlsbad, the City of Encinitas, and the City of Solana Beach passed local ordinances requiring more EV parking spaces and charging infrastructure than the State codes.
For an overview of local climate ordinances that surpass State codes, see the Climate Leadership in the San Diego Region storymap.Projects
In the summer of 2022, a global energy infrastructure management company Nuvve partnered directly with San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) and Cajon Valley Union School District to successfully deploy the first full vehicle-to-grid (V2G) project in the nation with eight electric school buses.
San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) and the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District partnered with the California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project (CALeVIP) on the San Diego County Incentive Project.
On October 27, 2020, the application for rebates of up to $80,000 on eligible electric vehicle charger equipment and installation costs opened for businesses, commercial properties, multifamily residences, K-12 school districts, and local government facilities in San Diego County.
Partnerships
The Accelerate to Zero Emissions Coalition, a regional collaborative comprised of public, private, and nonprofit organizations in the San Diego region, formed a partnership to advance transportation electrification to combat air pollution and climate change.
In July 2021, the Coalition released a gap analysis identifying barriers to widespread adoption of zero-emission vehicles, particularly in underserved and marginalized communities.
What are we tracking?
We measure the number of electric vehicle rebates per 10,000 capita, the percentage of light-duty ZEVs on roads, ZEVs market share, policies and goals related to ZEVs, and the EV-per-charger ratio in San Diego County and other urban counties in California.