California Extends Use of Carpool Lanes to Single Occupants of Hybrids and EVs
By Scott Doggett September 2, 2010But Buyers of Upcoming Plug-in Hybrids, Such as the Volt, Will be Ineligible Until 2012.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a measure this week allowing up to 40,000 more Californians with environmentally sensitive cars to drive solo in carpool lanes.
The measure also extends the lifespan of existing carpool-lane stickers for hybrid and electric vehicles, and will allow drivers of upcoming plug-in hybrids access to carpool lanes without the need of a second occupant.
But while owners of the Nissan Leaf electric vehicle due out later this year will be immediately eligible for the stickers permitting solo-occupant vehicles to ply the state's carpool lanes, California motorists who buy Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrids, also due out later this year, will have to wait until 2012.
That's because owners of pure electric vehicles have been eligible for the sticker for some time. The new law extends the eligibility by four years for electric-vehicle owners.
But the Volt (pictured), which can travel up to 40 miles on electricity before depending on gasoline for fuel, is a plug-in hybrid and as such its owners won't be eligible for a carpool-lane sticker until 2012 under the new California. The same will be true for the owners of other plug-in hybrids that come on the market before then.
The new law also extends access for 85,000 owners of non-plug-in hybrids, such as Toyota's Prius, for six months beyond its previously scheduled expiration at the end of this year.
However, a previous law set the maximum number of stickers for conventional hybrid owners at 85,000 and that number has been reached, meaning that no new stickers are being issued to owners of non-plug-in hybrids who don't already possess the coveted decals.
The new California law has national significance, because numerous other states tend to follow the Golden State's lead when it comes to green-car legislation.
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