We can’t let Europe and China have all the fun—EV sales in North America’s EV capital, California, are finally taking off. According to the California New Car Dealers Association, some 53,261 plug-in vehicles were sold in the Golden State in the first quarter of 2021, representing 10.8% of the total auto market.

The pandemic was plainly a catalyzing event for plug-in sales: the share of EVs hit an all-time high as overall light-vehicle sales declined by 2.9%.

Pure EVs took an 8.1% share of the market (also a new record), and hybrids took 9.8%. The total share of electrified vehicles (EVs, PHEVs and hybrids) was a whopping 20.6%.

Tesla had a particularly powerful quarter, increasing its sales by 12.5% year-over-year. Its two newest models both topped their sales segments: Model Y was the #1 seller in the Luxury Compact SUV segment; Model 3 was #1 in the Near Luxury segment; and Model S was #4 in Luxury and High End Sports Cars. The Telsa Model Y, with 13,786 sales, was the third best-seller among all light vehicles (yes, including pickup trucks), behind only Toyota’s RAV4 (17,266 sales) and Camry (15,526).

According to CNCDA’s data, Tesla had a 5.3% share of the total California market in Q1, and an impressive 1.7% share of the total US market.

Source: InsideEVs