San Francisco Bay Area hits electrified vehicle milestone
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Electric vehicles recharge at Crissy Field in San Francisco. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
New data shows that the San Francisco Bay Area recently hit an electrified vehicle milestone.
What's happening: Electric and hybrid vehicles accounted for 53.1% of new vehicle registrations in April, according to S&P Global Mobility.
- In March, the Bay Area became the first major metropolitan area to reach a 50% electrification level, per S&P.
Why it matters: Fossil fuels from transportation are one of the biggest drivers of emissions in the city, accounting for 44% of San Francisco's greenhouse gas emissions, according to city data.
- That's "why we need to make every trip a low-carbon trip," Tyrone Jue, acting director of San Francisco Environment, told Axios via email.
- Meanwhile, climate change is contributing to a health crisis, in part due to extreme heat, air pollution and illnesses linked to severe storms.
By the numbers: In March, 34.2% of new vehicle registrations in the Bay Area were for all-electric cars and 15.8% were for hybrid vehicles, according to S&P.
- Nationwide, excluding the San Francisco area, 7.3% of new vehicle registrations were electric and 9.3% were hybrid.
What they're saying: There are two main drivers of electrified vehicle adoption in the Bay Area, Tom Libby, associate director of industry analysis at S&P Global Mobility, said in a blog post.
- The first is the "remarkable similarities" between the demographics of Bay Area residents and the typical electric vehicle consumer, he said.
- Another driver, Libby said, is the appeal of EV brands besides Tesla.
State of play: San Francisco in July 2021 adopted the goal of being a net-zero emissions city by 2040.
- Since then, a handful of federal and statewide policies and programs have emerged to address climate change, like the Inflation Reduction Act, rebates for the purchase or lease of zero-emission vehicles and tax credits to drive EV adoption.
- Yes, but: San Francisco still has a long way to go in reaching its zero-emissions goal, as about 83% of registered cars in the city were gasoline-powered at the end of last year, per the California Energy Commission.
Between the lines: San Francisco is working to improve its electric vehicle charging infrastructure to incentivize more people to make the switch from gasoline to electric.
- In November, the city accepted $2.4 million in grant funding from the California Energy Commission to launch an e-bike food delivery pilot program, add three electric vehicle charging plazas in Bayview-Hunters Point and more.
What to watch: By 2030, the city wants at least 25% of all registered vehicles to be electric, per the climate action plan.
- By 2040, the goal is for all registered vehicles in San Francisco to be electric.