Vehicle Registration & Fuel Type

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ALTERNATIVE FUEL VEHICLE ADOPTION GROWS 27% IN ONE YEAR 

Tracking vehicle registrations can help a community understand its growing or declining reliance on cars, especially when viewed in relation to trends in public transit (see Transit indicator). Tracking the growth in alternative fuel cars helps illustrate the region’s contribution to statewide goals for reducing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and promotes dialogue on infrastructure that may be needed to support the growth of alternative fuel cars, such as electric vehicle charging stations or hydrogen fuel stations. This indicator measures car, truck, and motorcycle registrations for vehicles powered by any type of fuel as well as registrations for hybrid, electric, and hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles. 

TREND

After growing relatively steadily for many years, the number of registered vehicles in San Bernardino County declined by 2% in the three years since the 15-year high in 2021. In comparison, statewide, there was a 1% decline between 2021 and 2024. As of 2024, there were 1,781,085 vehicles registered in San Bernardino County, which is approximately 321,500 more vehicles than in 2010.  

VEHICLE REGISTRATIONS GRADUALLY DECLINING AFTER 15-YEAR HIGH IN 2021
Vehicle Registrations in San Bernardino County, 2010-2024

Note: Total registration does not include trailers.

Source: California Department of Motor Vehicles (https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv-research-reports/research-development-data-dashboards/vehicles-registered-by-county/) 

The rapid adoption of alternative fuel vehicles continued in 2023, with San Bernardino County residents adding 23,156 electric, hybrid, or hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in a single year.  This represents a one-year growth rate of 27%, with the adoption of electric vehicles leading the way, posting one-year growth of 58%. These three vehicle types (electric, hybrid, or hydrogen fuel cell) made up approximately 6% of the total fleet of San Bernardino County autos, trucks, and motorcycles in 2023. These three vehicle types make up 14% of the total California fleet.  

STEADY GROWTH IN ALTERNATIVE FUEL VEHICLE ADOPTION
Alternative Fuel Vehicles by Type in San Bernardino County, 2018-2023

Note: Due to a change in the source data, the data presented differ from data previously reported in the San Bernardino County Community Indicators.

Source: California Department of Motor Vehicles, Vehicle Fuel Type County by Zip Code (https://data.ca.gov/dataset/vehicle-fuel-type-count-by-zip-code); United States Postal Service, Address Information System, ZIP+4 and City State Products 

FOSSIL FUEL-ONLY VEHICLES COMPRISE APPROXIMATELY 92% OF ALL SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY VEHICLES
Vehicles by Type of Fuel in San Bernardino County, 2023

*Diesel and diesel-hybrid are combined by the data source. Based on historical DMV data, when diesel and diesel-hybrid vehicles were tallied separately, the vast majority of vehicles in this category are diesel only and not diesel-hybrid (e.g., only 26 vehicles were diesel-hybrid in 2020). Consequently, for this indicator, the vehicles in this category have been included in the fossil fuel-only tally.
Source: California Department of Motor Vehicles, Vehicle Fuel Type County by Zip Code (https://data.ca.gov/dataset/vehicle-fuel-type-count-by-zip-code); United States Postal Service, Address Information System, ZIP+4 and City State Products 

Alternative Fuel Vehicle Definitions

Hybrid:  Hybrid vehicles have both an electric motor and internal combustion engine, therefore use battery-powered electricity and gasoline or diesel in tandem for power. Unlike conventional hybrids, in a plug-in hybrid the batteries can be charged by plugging into an outlet.  

Battery Electric:  These vehicles run exclusively on electricity via on-board batteries that are charged by plugging into an outlet or charging station. They have no gasoline engine, longer electric driving ranges compared to plug-in hybrids, and do not produce tailpipe emissions (though there are emissions associated with charging these vehicles).  

Hydrogen Fuel Cell:  A fuel cell combines hydrogen with oxygen from the air to produce electricity. The electricity from the fuel cell then powers an electric motor, which powers the vehicle. The only byproduct of fuel cell electric vehicles is water.  

Source: Goldman, Josh. “Comparing Electric Vehicles: Hybrid vs. BEV vs. PHEV vs. FCEV.” Union of Concerned Scientists, 26 Feb. 2015, blog.ucsusa.org/josh-goldman/comparing-electric-vehicles-hybrid-vs-bev-vs-phev-vs-fcev-411.