Is the PHV Prius considered an 'electric' car for HOV tags?

The Volt doesn't qualify so I'd be surprised if the PHV Prius would.

 

Plug-in Prius is on the qualifying list. It is rated Enhanced AT-PZEV and it's highway fuel efficiency will be easily more than 45 MPG.

Eligible Vehicles - Single Occupant Carpool Lane Use Stickers

Volt is not on the list since it is rated as ULEV and highway fuel efficiency is 40 MPG.

 

They get a new HOV sticker starting Jan 1, 2012 (but the car will not be here by then )


Enhanced AT PZEV HOV Stickers (color to be determined)
Senate Bill 535 provides that starting in 2012, 40,000 HOV access stickers can be issued to early purchasers of Enhanced AT PZEVs. As explained above, these vehicles are likely to be super clean plug-in-hybrid or hydrogen powered internal combustion engine vehicles. As with all HOV programs, stickers are issued on a first come first served basis to delivered qualifying vehicles.​

http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/zevprog/factsheets/clean_vehicle_incentives.pdf​

 

Hopefully just in time for the plug in Prius. I got my 07 in the last few months of the previous program, now with a new car I'm missing the stickers. I'll definitely get the new plug in model when it comes out.

 

Good find, inventor00 - that'll be a nice incentive here in CA, where HOV access can knock 45 minutes to an hour off one's commute.

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I am confused; why don't more Californians carpool? An hour shorter commute? 1/2 the cost? What are you trading off that is worth that much?

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Of course, the problem with giving HOV passes to electric cars instead of say gas guzzlers is that you are getting more pollution. Plus, since they are only giving out a limited number any incentive effect is very short lived.

 

Because the urban areas of Southern California are so vast geographically, finding someone to carpool to work, for example, is challenging, especially as the distance between home and the workplace increases.

Bob.

 

Is there an internet carpool dating service available out there? Sounds like it might be worthwhile.

 

Nor Cal is that way too. At my former work when I was working in Nor Cal, we had an internal web site where you could try to find potential carpoolers. There were none really near me nor along the way to work and none where I was along someone else's way.

I also tended to work semi-odd hours to avoid traffic. I got into work very late and left late. By that time, the carpool lanes were all open to everyone and traffic wasn't bad.

If I went into work early enough to take advantage of my HOV sticker, it'd take between usually ~35 - 55 minutes to get to work. I'd also be worried (when blowing by all the bumper to bumper non-HOV traffic) that some idiot would pull into the carpool lane w/o looking. If I went into late (all lanes opened up, HOV sticker doesn't help), to avoid traffic, it'd take maybe 25-30 mins.

Going home after work during rush hour meant a lot of traffic and the differential was even bigger..

Even w/o my odd hours, my work (and that of many of my coworkers) wasn't the type where I could just drop it at the 8 hour mark (ha, 8 hour day wasn't all that often) and go home. We sometimes had issues come up and could be there much longer.

At one point, when we were in crunch mode, I was doing 10-13 hours/day, every weekday (had to sometimes work on things on the weekend) for several months and still, we were falling behind.

 

Some of the big employers do VanPools where they rent a van for the employees, and some of the county/state/ transporation companies try to match people....

But we work hard out here, so many times impossible to match hours, locations.

Waiting for the PHEV and new carpool sticker.....

 

Update on the CA DMV website- The Plug in Prius by Toyota IS listed as getting a new GREEN carpool sticker when it comes out.

http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/carpool/carpool.htm

Green Clean Air Vehicle Stickers pending federal approval will be available as of January 1, 2012 and will be valid through January 1, 2015 to the first 40,000 applicants that purchase or lease cars meeting California's enhanced advanced technology partial zero emission vehicle (AT PZEV) requirements. Vehicles qualifying for this new sticker will be added to this website, however applications for the new sticker will only be accepted once the program begins on January 1, 2012. Qualifying vehicles purchased before the program begins WILL be eligible to receive the green decals.

 

We just had one at part of the Orange Coast College (Costa Mesa, CA) Green Energy Day- in a very nice light blue and it was very very nice!!!

 

Prius PHV is the first to get the green sticker. It is the only one on the list now.

 

Only 40,000 stickers will be issued. This will be very interesting since the current yellow sticker has been issued to 85K vehicles.

This is going to get ugly! I can see many people willing to pay over MSRP so that they can get in on the HOV sticker rush! The limited availability, on top of backlog the state is currently experiencing will make this an aggravating process.

 

But Dianne Whitmire at Carson is taking Plug in orders - see dealer section....my order is in...

 

It should be noted that the Prius plug in that will be eligible for a green sticker (actual color to be determined) is listed as a "2010" model on the CA. clean air resource board site. Obviously there is no 2010 Prius plug in and one can probably assume that it refers to whichever year the plug-in would become available (probably 2012). Nonetheless, this is a point of concern. Also, there will eventually be other cars on the list of sticker eligibililty and theoretically those owners may snap up all the 40,000 stickers before the Prius plug in becomes available. I am willing to purchase any car that guarantees me the sticker but am totally uncertain as to which way this will go.

 

Even with a green sticker it will be illegal to charge the PHV at public "electric car" charging stations in CA without a white sticker.

 

i wonder what will be a more expensive ticket...

- driving in the carpool lane as a solo driver w/out sticker

or
- charging your PHV at a CA charging station w/out proper colored sticker :focus:

 

So Volt won't be able to charge there as well since it does not qualify for neither sticker?