Before I went on my trip to Las Vegas I read about someone in Ca cheating the system by using a non-pip Pruis in HOV lanes. Someone mentioned that there was a diff in the looks that they were able to determine if pip or not. What diff is there, I did take a photo but I have not fuzzed out lic plate, but will not post with lic plate numbers. But will post if fold want to see. Brian
From behind you can tell it's a PiP because the 'bar' that goes across below the rear small window in the hatch is silver on all PiP. It is body colored on liftback models. Also, the taillights on PiP models are clear, on liftback models there is red for the 2 'stripes' going up and over. Also, it has a HSD badge with a chromed plug on one end. Prius liftback: Prius Plug-in: Besides all this for the rear, on the PiP the door handles are also silver instead of body colored. The front of the car has a silver bar on top of the air dam, instead of all black on the litback and again, on the sides, it has plug in hybrid badging instead of hybrid badging.
Hey Brian, Taillights are 100% clear plastic, no red inserts like the none plug in. Side badging says Plug-In Prius, not just Prius, and door handles are silver regardless of the exterior color... that's all i can think of at the moment.
I alway wondered why some people obscure their license plates online. What about all the time you spend driving, locally, where I would assume the potential for problems is greater? Is their a difference?
I first noticed the differences while watching Under the Dome. The last episode I saw, they actually plugged it in.
On the road, there's no way to associate your plate number with an online identity. This is important to some people.
Exactly. Some folks want a bit of privacy online, that you can't get while driving in public. I would say, that's not the best color options to use for the example. You can't see the silver strip across the back, which you'd see a lot clearer on a darker vehicle.
In California you need special stickers to travel in the HOV lane, so I'm not sure what the issue is. Even if you have a plug in Prius, without the stickers, you cannot legally be in that lane.
Here is photo, it has some sort of permission being stated on the rear quarter panel and rear bumper. Is this the HOV permission for PIPs?
Yes, those are the old stickers, which are no longer active as far as I know. The history is that before there were plug in hybrids, California allowed regular hybrids (for a few years) to get stickers. New regular hybrids no longer qualify. Only plugin hybrids and EV's can get the stickers now. Here's more info. - Eligible Vehicles - Single Occupant Carpool Lane Use Stickers Also note, even a PIP or EV can not use the lane (with a sole driver) without the stickers installed.
That is a GenII, so it cannot be a PiP. And the yellow stickers are from the old expired program. I'm seeing more of them up here in WA as old and used cars migrate away from CA. Did you get an occupant count?
