VA Clean Special Fuel Plate

Do you mean it IS exempt from using those HOV lanes?

What does it look like? Have pics?

Edit: Google image search says it looks like this...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Family Hybrid @ Jun 19 2007, 08:23 PM) [snapback]464960[/snapback]</div>

so the new one does work on 66 hov?
d

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Family Hybrid @ Jun 21 2007, 02:46 PM) [snapback]465899[/snapback]</div>

awesome!


are there a limited number of these new plates, like in other states? does it matter when you bought your car?
i wonder why i cant just drive a prius without a special plate, since its obviously a hybrid.
d

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dishpan @ Jun 21 2007, 02:50 PM) [snapback]465907[/snapback]</div>

No limit. As long as it is a hybird.

 

California did it a much better way...to qualify for HOV access, the car has to get at least 45 mpg--so only the Prius and Civic hybrid qualified. Keeps hybrid SUVs out of the HOV lanes since their mileage is worse than many conventional cars.

 

I've found that most states with these laws require a special sticker or license plate to take advantage of it.

When I lived in Maryland I inquired about driving my Prius in the VA HOV lanes (and a couple times I did it anyway on I-66). I was told that since Maryland does not reciprocate for Virginia tagged cars, they won't allow Maryland tagged cars in the HOV lanes.

In Arizona I had to purchase special tags before I could drive solo in HOV.

 

why is a hybrid a "clean special fuel" anyway, according to VA? it still uses gasoline. its not like it run on vegetable oil.

 

Those were probably existing plates and Virginia decided not to alter them for the hybrids. In California, alternate-fuel vehicles got stickers just like hybrids, but they are silver and not yellow.

 

Doesn't the use on I-66 end July 1, 2007? Or did they extend it?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dishpan @ Jun 22 2007, 09:35 AM) [snapback]466377[/snapback]</div>

Because it uses the Atkinson Cycle Engine, and the RPMs are kept up in the higher most efficient range where feul is burned most completely.

Several of the current hybrid vehicles, vehicles like the Ford Escape and the Toyota Prius, use Atkinson cycle engines in stead of the conventional Otto-cycle. See an animation of the Atkinson Cycle engine again from Matt Keveney's excellent engine animation site. http://www.keveney.com/Atkinson.html

The Atkinson-cycle engine is up to 10% more efficient than a conventional four-stroke petrol "Otto" engine. The increase in efficiency comes mainly from controlling the so called pumping losses.

Pumping losses are caused by the way power output from a petrol "Otto" engine is regulated. It is regulated by controlling, or rather constricting airflow to the engine. This constriction of airflow creates partial vacuum (low pressure) in the inlet manifold. Maintaining this "low pressure" in the inlet manifold wastes energy.

One reason for diesel "Otto"-engines being more effective than the corresponding petrol engines is because there is no pumping loss in a diesel as power is regulated by injecting less fuel into the cylinders and not by choking the airflow to the cylinders.

The pumping losses in an Atkinson cycle engine are reduced by allowing, in the compression stroke, a small amount of the fuel/air mixture to flow back from the cylinder into the induction system, without being burned, thus reducing the effective displacement of the engine.

Additionally as the expansion ratio of an Atkinson cycle engine is greater than its compression ratio it takes more heat from the exhaust gas instead of pumping it into the exhaust system, thereby achieving additional efficiency.

The Atkinson cycle — also called the "five-stroke cycle" (because of the backflow which is really not a cycle) — works like this: intake, backflow (partial expulsion to eliminate pumping losses), compression, expansion, and exhaust.

The combustion chamber volume is adapted to maintain a constant compression ratio to avoid knock while increasing the expansion ratio to optimize efficiency.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(G-Man @ Jun 22 2007, 06:41 PM) [snapback]466686[/snapback]</div>

I believe it was extended to 2008 sometime in February of this year.

 

How long did it take to get it after you submitted the application? Did you fax it or mail it in? I wonder if I can get mine faxed and approved with 1 week left before they cut off I-66 access this year.