After two consecutive quarters of declines, the number of zero-emission vehicles sold in California ticked up slightly in the first three months of this year.

According to data compiled by the California Energy Commission, the combined number of battery electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles came to 102,507 in the first quarter — an increase of one-third of 1 percent compared to the fourth quarter of 2023.

That's not much, but the figures represent the most zero-emission vehicles ever sold in the Golden State in the first quarter of any year.

State policymakers cheered the news, with David Hochschild, chair of the California Energy Commission, saying in a news release that the clean vehicle transition "is in full swing, with nearly one in four California car shoppers choosing to go electric over the last year resulting in record sales."

The commission took to social media, highlighting the state's year-over-year growth.

But an auto sector analyst was more wary of the first quarter numbers.

"It's a slight increase, almost a rounding error," said Ivan Drury, senior manager of auto insights at Edmunds.com. "I think the underlying issue is you're not seeing the growth that you previously did. You can't have quarters in which there are plateaus, you have to continually grow."

Drury cited numbers that raise caution flags for him. He cited numbers compiled by Edmunds showing that electric vehicles, or EVs, in California are sitting on dealership lots an average of 62 days before being sold or leased.

"That's a long time," Drury said. To him, it indicates demand is slackening.

By comparison, the average plug-in hybrid sits on the lot for 49 days before selling, the average for a gasoline-powered car or truck in California is 44 days, while the average for a hybrid without a plug is just 21 days.

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