CA Green HOV Sticker Limit 55,000 Effective Immediately

i sent in my application late may. how can i check my status?? do i have to apply again? i never heard from DMV of receiving my application and it's been like a month.

 

DMV stopped issuing them when they hit the previously set limit, but said they would hold onto applications
that didn't make the cutoff. They started up where they left off, so give it some time. You can probably call them and get a status report. Have they cashed your check? That would be a good sign.

 

My check got cashed yesterday (July 1st) . Now I'll wait to see how long it takes before I receive the stickers in the mail, but I remember reading that it was usually within a couple of weeks from the check getting cashed.

 

Mine was cashed last Friday 4/27/14... Still waiting for the stickers...

 

It looks like the dealership green sticker pre-order program is back again at the DMV

New Keyes Volt buyers HOV

 

Sounds like a good reason to apply for a green sticker immediately, before the DMV gets backed up with applications from dealerships.

 

Stickers came in the mail today! I'm number 42xxx. Registration card says they were issued on June 28th.

For the record:

June 9th - application sent with a regular first class stamp
June 20th - Governor signs off on trailer bill to issue new stickers
July 1st - check cashed, according to my bank
July 3rd - stickers received in the Bay Area


Too bad I can't test them out until after the long weekend :-D

 

I'm sad they revived the program. 250 stickers all at once for this one dealer. Think about that.

 

Got my sticker today. Applied sometime in May.

 

I got my stickers today also! I applied 2nd week of May.

 

Ok, so the main problem for anyone about to buy their Prius Plugin Hybrid or other electric-hybrid vehicle is that we are never quite sure of the rate at which the Green HOV lane stickers are issued, so it's a guessing game about when the last one will be issued!

I finally figured out this problem ... I calculated the rate by looking at earlier versions of the California Air Resources Board website, and made a graph that projects the date when the current quota of 55,000 stickers will be gone. Per my projection that will happen is early October 2014. You can read about my analysis and see the graph on my blog here:

GREEN then SOLAR: California HOV Lane Access Green Stickers - When Will They Run Out?



Hope this helps people buying hybrid-electric cars!

 

The plot is fantastic but the stickers were intended to last thru the end of 2014 some thought to Feb.
I guess we need to distinguish between when the stickers run out and when the dealers run out of pre-stickered cars, which may be later.
I can't believe Ca. let the dealers buy them up again.
We get a better picture this week or next with the 1st half PHEV sales data from cncda.org
Also some are hoping AB2013 adds more stickers if the bill passes, but I' d be cautious and buy now if PiP is your thing.

 

I have to wonder if the number reported in Eligible Vehicles - Single Occupant Carpool Lane Use Stickers is the amount issued directly to owners, the amount issued directly to owners plus the number of dealer pre-registered cars, or the amount issued directly to owners plus pre-registered cars actually sold. It would make sense to be the middle one. But again, then the rate from the link makes demand seem significantly inflated due to dealer stockpiles as more and more dealers are realizing they can pre-register a bunch of cars for stickers, and once again once the stickers run out it will be relatively easy to find one with stickers already on a unsold new car, but you will pay a pretty premium for it.

In other words, anyone considering getting a PHEV should just get it now, as it's the easiest way to guarantee you'll get a Green HOV Sticker, and you'll maximize the number of years/months you can use the carpool lanes by buying now rather than later.

 

All I know is that the HOV lane on the 405 is usually worse than the regular lanes. Don't even think about using them on the weekends. I'm thinking they may end up yanking the eligibility of the Green stickers before their time is up. I'm sure the only reason for issuing additional stickers was due to dealer pressure.

 

Add the 10, 210 and 60 to that list.

 

The 91 is better in the carpool lane in the mornings than the general lanes, but it gets filled up pretty early in the afternoons and tends to be more packed often. It just depends on which parts of each freeway you're driving through at what time.

 

+1. I use the HOV lane mainly on the 405, and there are certainly spots where it moves as slow or slower as the regular lanes, such as in the Sepulveda Pass. But if I pick some specific vehicles to track, I can tell I'm coming out ahead, barring a complete blockage of the lane. But where it has really paid off for me is between the L.A. Westside and Orange County in the late afternoon. There are slow spots just about anywhere on the SoCal freeways, but overall I think the access to the carpool lanes is a huge benefit.
(We now return you to our regular programming, er thread topic.)

 

Well as of 8/25 the number is 52,034, so your graph sadly does not take into account apparent exponential growth happening now as buyers like myself (sent in my app to DMV on 8/15) rush to get one of the last ones. My fingers are crossed I made it in under the wire, but it's going to be very close.

 

....on another thread, recent article sounds like AB2013 is moving ahead with another 15k stickers (we can only hope).