The usage of hybrids in carpool lanes was permitted by the California Legislature as a means of promoting the use of fuel-efficient, low-emission automobiles.
The law allows hybrid vehicles that achieve at least 45 mpg access to the carpool lane. Only the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, and Honda Insight currently meet the requirements. To improve gas mileage and lower air pollution, the vehicles combine electric motors with modest internal combustion engines. Luxury sedans and larger hybrid SUVs with lone drivers are prohibited from using carpool lanes.
Carpoolers have been vocal about their objections about the law from the beginning. Carpoolers, however, who claim that hybrid drivers are crowding the lanes, also known as high-occupancy vehicle lanes, have increased the volume of the complaint in recent months.
“Theresa Poprac, who commutes daily on the 405 Freeway from her home near the Los Angeles International Airport to her job as head of sales for an educational software company in Costa Mesa, noted that Prius drivers have a tendency to drive more slowly, which slows down the HOV lanes.
In online vehicle chat rooms, where some carpoolers have proclaimed themselves, the conversation is more acerbic “Haters of hybrids.
Beyond the way hybrid vehicle owners drive, carpoolers complain that too many Priuses are starting to choke the diamond lanes. On certain freeways, it’s obvious that hybrid drivers are cutting their commuting time in half by using the carpool lane. On some, though, it doesn’t seem to be the case.
Jan Strnand, a hybrid owner and resident of Mar Vista who frequently uses the 405 Freeway to travel to Carson, claimed he was unimpressed with the program.
“According to television writer Strnand, the HOV lanes and conventional lanes frequently move at the same speeds, therefore there is no advantage. “You compute the math. How many more can you add before it becomes more of a hindrance than a help?
Most hybrid users, according to Assemblywoman Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills), who put forth the measure for hybrid carpool lanes, said they appreciate the luxury. She noted, however, that on particular freeways, the amount of time saved during rush hour has been a point of contention. The state research would aim to resolve this issue.
The Prius backlash, though, isn’t just happening in California’s carpool lanes. On a current installment of Comedy Central’s “One of the animated characters from South Park convinces everyone in the town to get a hybrid vehicle. However, hybrids inevitably lead to their own air pollution. not a smog.” Smug.
In This Article...
Can I drive a hybrid in the carpool lane?
Which electric cars are allowed in carpools? Carpool stickers are available for new electric, plug-in hybrid, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
Can a Prius drive in an Arizona HOV lane?
The Energy Efficient Plate Program in Arizona will force some vehicles to switch lanes in roughly a month.
Starting on March 2, hybrid car owners will no longer be given unique license plates. These license plates enable qualifying hybrid vehicles to operate without additional passengers in high-occupancy lanes.
Only plug-in hybrid vehicles and a few older, non-plug-in hybrid vehicles are impacted by this move. The complete list of vehicles eligible for the Energy Efficient Plate Program has just been made public by ADOT.
Electric autos and other alternative fuel vehicles are unaffected by the scheme.
A representative for the Arizona Motor Vehicle Division is Doug Nick. On September 30, according to him, the federal pilot program was supposed to end; nevertheless, Arizona has given drivers time to get used to it.
Nick replied, “Arizona’s a little different in that we’re letting it die by attrition. Some other states, like Utah, for instance, instantly abolished it as of that day.
Until their car is sold, swapped, or the license plates are transferred to another driver, current plate holders will still be permitted to utilize the lane.
Owners of the plates have until March 2 to decide whether to transfer them to a new, eligible car.
Obtaining a Prius carpool sticker is simple.
You’ll need the following to apply for CAV stickers and a CAV decal ID card: You should first check the California Air Resources Board (CARB) website or give them a call at their toll-free number (1-800-242-4450) to see if your car qualifies and to find out the engine size and exhaust standard for it.
Who is allowed to use HOV lanes in California?
HOV lanes can be used by the following vehicles:
- a public transportation vehicle (i.e. busses)
- certain vehicles that use alternative fuels, pure air, or plug-in hybrids (must have green or white decal issued by the California DMV)
- any car with two or more people inside (some highways require 3 or more)
Tips for using High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes in California
The following are some considerations to make when using HOV, or carpool, lanes on Californian highways:
- Normally, the HOV lane can be located on the inside (left) of the road.
- HOV lanes are marked with signs and white diamonds painted on the pavement.
- Northern California: HOV lanes are often only open during weekday rush hours (Monday through Friday), such as 6 to 10 a.m. and 3 to 7 p.m. The hours will be marked, and outside of those times, regular traffic may utilize the lane.
- Southern California: HOV lanes are typically 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and have a buffer separating them from conventional lanes.
The difference between Northern and Southern California must be understood. In average, there are only two times per day when traffic here in the northern section of the state is particularly congested (during the morning and evening commutes). As a result, all lanes can be used efficiently outside of the operational times thanks to the part-time HOV lanes. Full-time HOV lanes are significantly more practical in the southern section of the state, where congestion periods can last up to 11 hours per day.
Can I use the HOV lane in Arizona with my Tesla?
Yes, it used to be true that Arizona’s HOV lanes were open to energy-efficient vehicles without any restrictions, including hybrid and electric automobiles, under the Energy Efficient Plate Program.
Can electric cars use Arizona’s HOV lanes?
The Energy Efficient Plate Program in Arizona is now over. In Arizona, the program provided unrestricted access to the high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes for qualifying automobiles.
Those who currently own an energy-efficient license plate may keep it on a compatible car and use the HOV lanes. The energy-efficient plate is no longer valid if the car is sold, traded, or has its title otherwise transferred to another person.
The initiative was ended in order to adhere to HOV lane usage laws set forth by the federal government.
Only the program for energy-efficient plates is covered by this. Vehicles using alternative fuels, including those powered entirely by electricity, are unaffected.
Is Tesla eligible for the carpool lane?
People who make less than $65,777 annuallyor 80% of the median income in Californiaare covered under the new law.
The used EV market should be stimulated by the new law. EVs from the first generation, such the Nissan Leaf, can be purchased for under $10,000. Other than Tesla vehicles, electric cars are sometimes regarded as depreciating more quickly. Many EV depreciation studies, however, neglect to take the effect of incentives on purchase pricing.
Carpool lanes are already overcrowded, according to the new rule’s detractors, which slows down buses and other cars. However, supporters contend that access that eventually expires would outweigh the need for new stickers. All HOV stickers are provided on a predetermined schedule for a set number of years.
Carpool lane access would decrease if the number of zero-emission vehicles on Californian roadways rises from its current level of roughly 600,000 to a target of 5 million by 2030. In 2022, the red decals that were issued in 2018 will no longer function, although low-income car owners may be given new stickers to put on those and other used EVs. The deadline for white decals was January 1, 2019.
The Greenlining Institute’s Alvaro Sanchez, director of environmental equity, stated to the San Francisco Chronicle:
As with those who could afford the technology when it was initially launched, we aim to provide low-income people with the same benefit.
Other recently passed California laws aim to increase equity in the use of EVs.
Californian EV purchasers who purchase vehicles costing more than $60,000 will no longer be eligible for the state’s $2,500 clean-vehicle rebate as of December 3, 2019. The change eliminates rebates for a number of BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Tesla vehicles in addition to the Audi e-tron and Jaguar I-PACE. Furthermore, taxpayers who are single and make $150,000 or more annually are no longer eligible for state rebates, but they are still eligible for carpool lane stickers.
Are there any left over carpool stickers?
Extending the well-known HOV-lane access program is one approach to do that. There is, however, a catchor rather, a few.
The program that allows owners of battery-electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles (white stickers) and plug-in hybrids to use HOV lanes in California is extended by three years thanks to legislation (AB 544) that was signed into law on October 10th (green stickers). The initial program’s deadline was January 1, 2019.
The stickers on owners of qualifying vehicles purchased before to January 1, 2017, will expire on that date. Owners of vehicles bought in 2017 or 2018 can apply for brand-new red HOV-lane access stickers, which are good until January 1, 2022.
Can electric vehicles use California’s HOV lanes?
No matter how many people are in the car, compressed natural gas, hydrogen, electric, and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles that adhere to certain federal and California emissions standards and have a Clean Air Vehicle sticker from the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) are permitted to use HOV lanes. The household income of first-time applicants must be at or below 80% of the state median income. When issued on or after January 1, 2020, purple stickers expire on January 1, 2023, while orange stickers expire on January 1, 2024.
By June 1, 2023, the California Department of Transportation must release a report describing how many stickers were distributed through this initiative. Prior to 2017, only vehicles with white or green decals were permitted to take part in this program. Additionally, vehicles with stickers are entitled to discounted tolls or exemptions from HOT lane tolls. Visit the California Air Resources Board Carpool Stickers page for more details and regulations, as well as a list of eligible vehicles.
See Eligible Vehicle List
On January 1, 2019, the California DMV launched the new Clean Air Vehicle (CAV) decal program for eligible cars that have never been issued a CAV decal. The California DMV has a different CAV decal color every year. On January 1st of the fourth year following the year they are issued, CAV decals expire. Three full years plus the partial year following the decal’s issuance are thus provided as the access duration. A decal, for instance, expires on January 1, 2025 if it was granted at any point in 2021.
Please be aware that the CAV decal program is coming to an end, and any decals still in effect after that date will no longer be usable.
Qualifying Vehicles
The following requirements must be met by qualifying vehicles:
- These vehicles meet California’s zero-emission vehicle standard and are entirely electric or hydrogen fuel cell-powered.
- Plug-in hybrid electric cars that have received California TZEV certification.
- cars specifically designed to run on compressed natural gas (CNG) that adhere to both federal and state pollution regulations.
Be aware that some eligible CNG and electric aftermarket retrofit/upfit vehicles may need the applicant to provide extra documents, and that eligibility verification may take some time after the DMV application has been received.
Income-Based (IB) CAV Decal Program
Beginning on January 1, 2020, some owners will have the option to apply for an income-based scheme that, if certain criteria are satisfied, could make CAV decals available to new owners of qualified used vehicles. Discover more on the DMV website.
CAV Decal and Clean Vehicle Rebate Program Combination
If your gross yearly income exceeds the criteria listed below and you are applying for a CAV decal for a hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle, you must select between a CAV decal and a Clean Vehicle Rebate Program (CVRP) rebate. This is because of the CVRP program’s requirements.
Remember to refer to the eligible vehicles for the CVRP program because fewer vehicles than for the CAV decal program will be eligible for it.
At or higher:
Under: