I live in California. I have a Prius Plug in which I love. I traded in my previous Prius to buy the plug in mainly to get the green HOV sticker in California. this sticker will expire in 2018. At that time I would of saved 4 Weeks worth of commute time due to being able to drive in the HOV lane by myself. What am I to do in 2019 to ensure I can stay in the HOV lane ? The Prime, the Bolt, the Tesla 3, ???? I doubt the Prime is good enough to get a new sticker...so I put my order in on a Tesla Model 3. I would like to hear what the other Green Sticker people going to do to prepare for the transition at the end of 2018.
I put a reservation down for the Model 3 in hopes that the a White Stickers will be extended past Jan 1st 2019.
From what I have heard, if PHEV's are still getting new stickers in 2018 the HOV lanes will be as clogged as anything else. A full BEV may give you your best chance. Availability of the Model 3 may be limited though. If you can spare the $1000 I would put down the deposit ASAP. It is fully refundable, so if you can't get a model 3 in 2018 you can get your money back. The Bolt may be another good option for you. In 2017 GM is only planning to build 30,000. So if it takes off, demand may outstrip supply for a bit until GM can adjust.
I am thinking Prime will qualify for the proposed new green stickers, but you gotta wait to June or so to see that officially from Gov Brown signature. Unclear about PiP1 to me. After that it's up to you.
Carpool? Take public transportation? Adjust work hours to avoid busy traffic? Move closer to work? Find a job closer to where you live? Telecommute? Ride a bicycle? White-line on a motorcycle? Relax and listen to good audio books? Those are all the options I'd consider if I lived in a congested CA city. I already employ 5 of the above options to varying degrees, and my commute during rush hour is only 20 minutes.
Difficult to do with a long commute and different schedules. Not feasible with California's infrastructure. It would take me 4 hours on public transportation to get to work (driving takes less than an hour without traffic, an hour and 40 minutes with heavy traffic, or an hour and 10 minutes with HOV) for roughly a 40 mile commute one way. Not everyone has this level of flexibility with their jobs. Difficult to do with a mortgage in place and a family with their lives centered around their home. This one is tough since certain industries are often centered around certain areas, not to mention it would be wise to change jobs at an appropriate career position. Also housing might be significantly more expensive closer to work, or the area surrounding work might not be as nice. Not everyone has this option. For 80 miles round trip a day? Lane splitting involves high risk with how bad drivers are, especially with all the distracted driving going on nowadays. This option would be much more relaxing with Tesla Autopilot (Not all responses above apply to me, but these are general answers as to why HOV stickers are so desirable here).
I have a 2010 Prius and been looking to change as it only has 70,000km on it. When the Prime came out, I put a deposit down on it immediately and I was one of the few and the dealership barely knew about the car. I live in Canada and my commute is only 15km on way, so there was no influence by HOV, etc. The Tesla3 came out a few days after the Prime and people were lining up to put down a deposit. I think a fully loaded Prime will end up costing less than a similarly loaded Tesla 3. $35k ($US) for a base model is probably what the Prime will cost.
I'm confused, you say that you only have 70,000 km on it, and that is the reason you want to purchase another vehicle? Your car should have several hundred thousand km more of trouble-free life. A fully loaded Prime won't even begin to approach the capabilities of a base Tesla. As Elon stated, every car will come with Autopilot; a feature you won't be able to get with any version of the Prime. As for cost, an EV should cost less than a plug-in hybrid since it has fewer parts and less complexity. A hybrid requires both electric components and gasoline engine components, increasing cost, complexity, maintenance... I expect the base Model 3 to come in cheaper than the Prime, and especially in the U.S. after federal tax credits.
Ontario has green plates for HOV access. They're GVAA (not GRNN) B.C. will also issue decals for HOV access for BEVs and PHEVs. Hardware. Software is an extra cost option. Obviously. It'll come down to whether a loaded Prime is better value than the base Model 3. Also, the Prime will still have tax credits available. The Model 3 will not have a lot of credits to rely on.
Or a Chevy Bolt. But it won't have as many options on it as a Prime. The base Volt had less options on it than my base PiP. iPad ? HD
The prime still pollutes the air and then most of its recycled motor oil is turned into heating oil which is burned. Buy/Lease a Bolt or a Tesla Model ≡.
Outch! mostly buying electric car is useless in USA why even spend money on hydrogen or electricity product if production came so much from fossil fuel.
For about half of the US the green house gas emissions from the average EV is still cleaner than a Prius. For all of the US the GHG emissions are cleaner than the average GHG emissions of the average vehicle. Meanwhile, EVs powered from the grid get cleaner each year, while gas cars get dirtier each year. And, some people don't buy a car solely (or at all) because of the environment. Many prefer it for the convenience, performance, drive quality, low maintenance, or keeping their fuel money in the local economy. I hope that answers your question?
