According to tracking by Veloz, a first-of-its-kind public-private coalition of major electric car industry stakeholders, California hit its 500,000th electric car sales milestone in November.

“This unprecedented, exponential growth of the electric car market is only the beginning,” said Josh Boone, executive director of Veloz. “But we need to accelerate the uptake of these cars to make a real difference. Air pollution negatively impacts the health of all. That is why we need ‘Electric For All.’”

Veloz’s monthly “Sales Dashboard” shows total sales of electric cars in the state for November hit 512,717, up 30 percent from the month before and 164 percent from a year ago. Overall, this year has seen exponential growth in electric car sales. Electric cars accounted for 7.1 percent of California car sales in the first three quarters of the year with fully electric, zero-emission car sales outpacing plug-in hybrid sales 4.1 percent to 3 percent respectively.

“Reaching 500,000 electric vehicles in California is yet another indicator that the future of transportation is electric. And that future is approaching faster than ever,” said Veloz Board Chair David Hochschild. “We have seen monthly sales of electric vehicles triple this year, and California is well on our way to 5 million by 2030.”

But, even with California capturing almost 50 percent of the national electric car market, almost 70 percent of counties across the state received a failing grade for ozone pollution caused by tailpipe emissions. Veloz recognizes that while electric car sales are increasing at a rapid clip, it is not happening fast enough to achieve the deep cuts in emissions that the state needs to achieve to protect people’s health and curb negative impacts on the environment. That is why they launched the public awareness campaign “Electric For All to educate and inspire Californian’s to drive electric.

“We’re seeing a clear trend toward electrification here at home and abroad,” said Boone. “With the ‘Electric For All’ campaign, even more Californians will know about and experience these great cars. And, like these half-million people, many, many more will fall in love with a better way to drive.”

Veloz releases a detailed report on sales and infrastructure each month. The data is aggregated from a number of trusted sources and packaged in an easy to read and share “Sales Dashboard.”