Report: California leads electric vehicle development, growth

Publication Date
Author
Melanie Turner
Source
Sacramento Business Journal
Year Published
2011

As California is poised to adopt a new round of vehicle standards designed to cut emissions and expand the market for electric vehicles, a new report finds that the state is emerging as a leader in this economic sector.

The report from the nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization Next 10 is titled “Powering Innovation: California is Leading the Shift to Electric Vehicles from R&D to Early Adoption.”

The report reveals California took in $467 million in global electric-vehicle venture capital investment in the first half of the year.

California, along with Michigan, ranked first in total electric vehicle technology patents in the nation. Each state generated 300 patents between 2008 and 2010, according to the report.

Next 10 founder and businessman F. Noel Perry said in a statement that California’s “entrepreneurs, savvy consumers, research institutions and our market-driving policies are creating a perfect storm for continued growth.”

The report also indicates that during the recession, between January 2009 and January 2010, electric vehicle jobs expanded 4 percent in the state, while total employment dropped 7 percent.

Most of the electric vehicle-related jobs, or nearly 47 percent, were in Los Angeles and the Silicon Valley.

“California is capturing the full spectrum of value related to the EV industry from cradle to market,” Tracey Grose, lead author of the report and vice president of Collaborative Economics. Latest from The Business Journals Report: California leads electric vehicle development, growth Bay Area sees uneven recovery Smart grid yields Bay Area jobs Follow this company, said in a statement.

Collaborative Economics is a research and consulting organization in San Mateo.

Click here for the report from Next 10.

Melanie Turner covers energy, environment, clean technology, agriculture, transportation, media and marketing for the Sacramento Business Journal.