Energy Revolution

Emerging technologies in the Capital Region are driving efforts toward electrification of the two most polluting sectors — mobility and buildings

BY Jennifer Junghans | DIGITAL ILLUSTRATION BY Sara Bogovich

When it comes to the zero-emission vehicle space, most of it is passenger cars and “that’s a success story in terms of adoption of electric vehicles here in California,” says Mark Rawson, chief operating officer of the California Mobility Center. “We’re the largest EV market in the free world.” And that market is growing.

California aims to reach 5 million zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2030 — approximately one sixth of all registered light-duty vehicles in the state. It’s a giant leap from the state’s total sales of nearly 925,000 electric vehicles as of August 2021, but those are nearly half of all electric vehicles sold in the U.S., according to data from the California Energy Commission.

In 2035, those numbers will skyrocket when Gov. Gavin Newsom’s executive order mandating all new passenger cars and trucks sold in California be zero emission goes into effect.

Read Comstock's article here.