Hi guys, all the sticker laws are pretty confusing to a newbie. I've never paid any attention to them until now. I'm in California so this thread my or my not be pertinent in your state. My new "used" 2012, came with 1 sticker, in front on drivers side. 1. Can I still use the carpool lane on this? 2. I usually see a sticker on rear bumper, will I get pulled over if I don't have one in the rear? 3. Are the green ones expired? 4. can I renew it when the registration is up?
Green stickers expired January 1, 2019 (this graphic from 2018): Current program: He is posting from an iphone, but hasn't otherwise customized the automatic tag line.
no it's not. That orange is just because of bad camera color filtering. They're now purple not orange. Here's an example from the one on our minivan. That orange must have been the result of taking the picture with an iPhone (sorry - couldn't resist stirring up the Android / iPhone, "I'm better than you" ridiculousness) I think the orange was something they had in mind - but then, Cali went to purple instead, as i don't know anyone that's ever seen that orange color before. Anybody? Anybody? .
Well, at least this iPhone correctly changed the spelling from "Purple" to "Orange" in the text included in that graphic when it altered the color. That's pretty impressive when you get down to it. /off to buy AAPL...
I have the purple ones on our 2019 Prime. There are an orange set that are the last to be released and expire 1/1/24. The purple on ones expire 1/1/23, so one less year of use. Still not bad.
I know they weren't 100% consistent through the history of the program, but wasn't the general idea that you'd go get your whizzbang ecocar, put a sticker on it, enjoy HOV benefits for $a_while and then that's it. Total cutoff, that specific VIN is never again eligible for the privilege. I can see where this strategy would encourage resale & repeat buying of said ecocars. Also it would keep the filthy poors out of the HOV lane. I still wonder which was the main goal?
The goal was to encourage adoption . And for those of us that live on the Best Coast, we take advantage. Some will trade their ride in on the next available car for the program, some will continue to use the car they have and use the benefit while it lasts. But with the program coming to an end in 2024, I guess they feel they've done their part.
I believe it is a case of the federal allowance for alternate uses of federally funded HOV lanes, expires. Again.
iirc you bring in a used car from another state that never had California registration, and you can still get the latest rainbow color sticker.
Here are some posts from last year when earlier federal hybrid deadlines (extended repeatedly) finally expired, while updated federal law allowed certain other alternative fuel vehicles to have their access extended to 9/30/2025: Hybrids kicked out of Free HOV? | PriusChat Hybrids kicked out of Free HOV? | Page 2 | PriusChat
Orange is the latest color. Confirmed many times while driving on the Freeway and from cars that are parked
many states require a certain amount of miles to ride solo with carpool stickers, & the Prius is not exactly a long range PHEV. Ironically though, hydrogen car fuel is reformed primarily from natural gas, (coal in some areas used to generate electricity) & yet they carve out an exception for fuel cell vehicles. but i digress ..... .