Latest news with #CleanAirVehicle
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
California EV drivers could lose their carpool lane privileges in September
For the last two decades, more than a million motorists who have slapped "clean air vehicle" decals on their electric and hybrid cars have been free to cruise in carpool lanes with no passengers. But that perk could be coming to an end on Sept. 30 if Congress fails to extend California's Clean Air Vehicle Decal program. "Clean Air Vehicle Decals are a smart, cost-effective incentive that has played an important role driving the adoption of clean and zero-emission vehicles in California," read a statement from Liane Randolph, chair of the California Air Resources Board. "But thanks to the federal government's failure to act, this successful program is coming to an end." You can still apply for a decal by Aug. 29, but it will become invalid on Oct. 2, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Extending the decal program in California — or any other state — would require the approval of Congress and the signature of President Trump, said Bill Magavern, policy director for the Coalition for Clean Air. "I certainly would not bet on that," Magavern said. "It seems that the only deadline that this Congress responds to are the deadlines that are set by Trump, and I really don't see him going out of his way to extend this program." Why this state program needs congressional approval Federal legislation has allowed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to grant solo drivers in low-emission and energy-efficient cars to use the carpool, or High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV), lane. The goal was to promote the adoption of alternative-fuel vehicles and assist in meeting environmental goals that included reducing fuel consumption and pollution caused by congested freeways, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Over time, states developed incentive programs, choosing which car models to give carpool access to. "Clearly in the early days of zero-emission cars, the carpool lane stickers were an important incentive for some drivers, particularly in places like the Bay Area and Los Angeles where there is major congestion," Magavern said. California is one of 13 states that offer this type of incentive program to its residents. Qualified drivers in the Golden State include those who drive fuel cell electric, natural gas or plug-in electric cars. Whether the program is still a major incentive, "with electric vehicles topping 20% of new sales, I think is open to question," Magavern said. However, the electric car advocacy group Plug In America said the program has always been a factor in the minds of consumers. "Just like a lot of other incentives, the HOV lane access through the Clean Air Vehicle Program is one of those things that drivers look to to assess the overall package of what it's like to either go electric or to get that next electric vehicle," said Alexia Martineau, senior policy manager for Plug in America. Not renewing the program means that those drivers just have one less reason in the positive column for going electric, Martineau said. In 2023, California had nearly 1.3 million light-duty electric vehicle registrations and was the only state to report such a high number. Behind California was Florida, with roughly 255,000 registrations, and Texas, with roughly 230,000, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. (Neither Florida nor Texas offers an incentive program.) In 2015, Congress authorized California's program through a highway funding bill, but that authorization is expiring as of Sept. 30. What's being done to extend the life of clean air vehicle decals In an effort to extend the decal program, state Assemblymember Greg Wallis (R-Bermuda Dunes) authored Assembly Bill 2678, which would push the end date to Jan. 1, 2027. The bill was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom last year but is lacking federal approval. Without federal approval, the bill becomes moot. "Putting the brakes on this program means that starting October 1, 2025, CAV decals will no longer be valid in California, or elsewhere in the United States," the Department of Motor Vehicles said in a statement. "All vehicles will be required to meet posted vehicle occupancy to travel in carpool lanes and pay required tolls or risk receiving a citation." According to the California Air Resources Board, there are currently 519,000 active decals in the state, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. What could this mean for the state's environmental goals? Without the program, drivers will lose access to the carpool lane, but Magavern said it should also mean less congestion in the HOV lanes. "Now that California has hundreds of thousands of zero-emission vehicles, they can take up a lot of space in the HOV lanes, and those were meant to incentivize people to carpool," he said. In addition to drivers losing access to carpool lanes, the change could slow the progress the state has made in getting more people into alternative fuel vehicles and reducing pollution. California's goal for 2035 is that all new passenger vehicles sold in the state be zero-emission. Car technology today, such as battery-electric, plug-in hybrid-electric and fuel cell electric vehicles, is helping the state reach its goal, according to the California Air Resources Board. In fact, sales on electric vehicles have been on the rise in the state since 2011, with the exception of stagnant sales between 2018 and 2020, according to a report published by UC Davis. Today, one in four new cars sold in the state is an EV, Dahlia Garas, of the university's Electric Vehicle Research Center, said in the report. The university's Electric Vehicle Research Center conducted a survey of drivers from the start of the year until June and found that almost 30% of people said that without any state incentives, including the decal, they wouldn't have chosen to purchase an electric vehicle, said Scott Hardman, assistant director of the center. "We're still at a very fragile point in the transition to all vehicles being electric," Hardman said. "Only eight percent of the vehicles on the road are electric, and that's not enough for you to reach the point where the vehicles are a social norm." The Clean Air Vehicle Decal program is just one way the state is working toward its environmental goals — milestones that have recently come under attack, including California's decades-old authority to enforce its own environmental standards. Recently, U.S. House representatives voted to prohibit California from banning the sale of new gasoline-only cars by 2035 and end California's ability to set emissions standards for heavy-duty trucks and to combat smog levels in the state. In Magavern's view, those actions are part of the Trump administration's "war" on California's air, water and climate. But even though the carpool decal program was once helpful in getting Californians to purchase electric vehicles, Magavern argues that times have changed. "I think that you can make a good argument that they've outlived their time and that it's more important to have the carpool lanes be filled by vehicles that actually have carpools in them," he said. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Solve the daily Crossword
Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Los Angeles Times
California EV drivers could lose their carpool lane privileges in September
For the last two decades, more than a million motorists who have slapped 'clean air vehicle' decals on their electric and hybrid cars have been free to cruise in carpool lanes with no passengers. But that perk could be coming to an end on Sept. 30 if Congress fails to extend California's Clean Air Vehicle Decal program. 'Clean Air Vehicle Decals are a smart, cost-effective incentive that has played an important role driving the adoption of clean and zero-emission vehicles in California,' read a statement from Liane Randolph, chair of the California Air Resources Board. 'But thanks to the federal government's failure to act, this successful program is coming to an end.' You can still apply for a decal by Aug. 29, but it will become invalid on Oct. 2, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Extending the decal program in California — or any other state — would require the approval of Congress and the signature of President Trump, said Bill Magavern, policy director for the Coalition for Clean Air. 'I certainly would not bet on that,' Magavern said. 'It seems that the only deadline that this Congress responds to are the deadlines that are set by Trump, and I really don't see him going out of his way to extend this program.' Federal legislation has allowed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to grant solo drivers in low-emission and energy-efficient cars to use the carpool, or High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV), lane. The goal was to promote the adoption of alternative-fuel vehicles and assist in meeting environmental goals that included reducing fuel consumption and pollution caused by congested freeways, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Over time, states developed incentive programs, choosing which car models to give carpool access to. 'Clearly in the early days of zero-emission cars, the carpool lane stickers were an important incentive for some drivers, particularly in places like the Bay Area and Los Angeles where there is major congestion,' Magavern said. California is one of 13 states that offer this type of incentive program to its residents. Qualified drivers in the Golden State include those who drive fuel cell electric, natural gas or plug-in electric cars. Whether the program is still a major incentive, 'with electric vehicles topping 20% of new sales, I think is open to question,' Magavern said. However, the electric car advocacy group Plug In America said the program has always been a factor in the minds of consumers. 'Just like a lot of other incentives, the HOV lane access through the Clean Air Vehicle Program is one of those things that drivers look to to assess the overall package of what it's like to either go electric or to get that next electric vehicle,' said Alexia Martineau, senior policy manager for Plug in America. Not renewing the program means that those drivers just have one less reason in the positive column for going electric, Martineau said. In 2023, California had nearly 1.3 million light-duty electric vehicle registrations and was the only state to report such a high number. Behind California was Florida, with roughly 255,000 registrations, and Texas, with roughly 230,000, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. (Neither Florida nor Texas offers an incentive program.) In 2015, Congress authorized California's program through a highway funding bill, but that authorization is expiring as of Sept. 30. In an effort to extend the decal program, state Assemblymember Greg Wallis (R-Bermuda Dunes) authored Assembly Bill 2678, which would push the end date to Jan. 1, 2027. The bill was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom last year but is lacking federal approval. Without federal approval, the bill becomes moot. 'Putting the brakes on this program means that starting October 1, 2025, CAV decals will no longer be valid in California, or elsewhere in the United States,' the Department of Motor Vehicles said in a statement. 'All vehicles will be required to meet posted vehicle occupancy to travel in carpool lanes and pay required tolls or risk receiving a citation.' According to the California Air Resources Board, there are currently 519,000 active decals in the state, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Without the program, drivers will lose access to the carpool lane, but Magavern said it should also mean less congestion in the HOV lanes. 'Now that California has hundreds of thousands of zero-emission vehicles, they can take up a lot of space in the HOV lanes, and those were meant to incentivize people to carpool,' he said. In addition to drivers losing access to carpool lanes, the change could slow the progress the state has made in getting more people into alternative fuel vehicles and reducing pollution. California's goal for 2035 is that all new passenger vehicles sold in the state be zero-emission. Car technology today, such as battery-electric, plug-in hybrid-electric and fuel cell electric vehicles, is helping the state reach its goal, according to the California Air Resources Board. In fact, sales on electric vehicles have been on the rise in the state since 2011, with the exception of stagnant sales between 2018 and 2020, according to a report published by UC Davis. Today, one in four new cars sold in the state is an EV, Dahlia Garas, of the university's Electric Vehicle Research Center, said in the report. The university's Electric Vehicle Research Center conducted a survey of drivers from the start of the year until June and found that almost 30% of people said that without any state incentives, including the decal, they wouldn't have chosen to purchase an electric vehicle, said Scott Hardman, assistant director of the center. 'We're still at a very fragile point in the transition to all vehicles being electric,' Hardman said. 'Only eight percent of the vehicles on the road are electric, and that's not enough for you to reach the point where the vehicles are a social norm.' The Clean Air Vehicle Decal program is just one way the state is working toward its environmental goals — milestones that have recently come under attack, including California's decades-old authority to enforce its own environmental standards. Recently, U.S. House representatives voted to prohibit California from banning the sale of new gasoline-only cars by 2035 and end California's ability to set emissions standards for heavy-duty trucks and to combat smog levels in the state. In Magavern's view, those actions are part of the Trump administration's 'war' on California's air, water and climate. But even though the carpool decal program was once helpful in getting Californians to purchase electric vehicles, Magavern argues that times have changed. 'I think that you can make a good argument that they've outlived their time and that it's more important to have the carpool lanes be filled by vehicles that actually have carpools in them,' he said.
Miami Herald
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Driving alone in an EV in the carpool lane? Your sticker is about to expire
Unless lawmakers on Capitol Hill move quickly, one of the most desired perks of driving a zero-emissions vehicle in California will be put on the shelf by the end of next month. For years, motorists with stickers on their cars through the state's Clean Air Vehicle Decal program have been allowed to drive in the carpool, or High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV), lane when traveling alone. Given the frustrating amount of traffic that often clogs California freeways, the program has been used as an incentive for people to buy electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and hydrogen fuel cell cars. It's estimated that 465,000 vehicles across the state have active decals attached to them. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 13 other states have similar incentives in place. States need authorization from the U.S. government to establish those programs and keep them in place because federal dollars flow into the highway system. Here's the problem: The authorization is set to expire at midnight on Sept. 30. "We are working with several federal legislators to try to extend the program," said Curt Augustine, senior director for state affairs at the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade group for the U.S. auto industry. "But it will require legislation and will need to be passed by both houses of Congress and signed by the president for that to happen." Can all that be done in time? "It is possible," Augustine said. "We're crossing our fingers. We've been working on it for about a year and a half already." The decal program "is ENDING," the California Department of Motor Vehicles website says, and the Clean Air Vehicle stickers "will no longer be valid" as of Oct. 1. Under a Frequently Asked Questions drop-down, the site says, "While the federal government gives the DMV the authority to create the CAVD program, the state must follow federal regulations that are expiring." That means unless something gets done fast in Washington, drivers starting Oct. 1 must "obey the posted vehicle occupancy requirement to travel in the carpool (HOV) lane or risk receiving a citation and fine." Augustine said the change is not due to the giant budget bill that recently passed on Capitol Hill with Republican support and signed into law by President Donald Trump. Dubbed the "One Big Beautiful Bill," the 940-page legislation included getting rid of the federal tax credit of up to $7,500 on the purchase of electric vehicles, effective Sept. 30. "This is completely different," Augustine said, adding that the program's renewal has been stalled for a couple of years. "Unfortunately, zero-emissions vehicles have become somewhat politicized in our country and that has hindered some of our efforts to extend this program … It's a coincidence that it just happened to expire this year," he said. Augustine said extending the program cannot be done through a simple directive by a federal agency, such as the U.S. Department of Transportation. "It is law, so Congress will have to pass it," he said. If an extension is not passed in the coming weeks, the programs in California and other states can still be revived later if something eventually clears all the legislative and executive hurdles in Washington. "If it doesn't get done by Oct. 1, we are more hopeful that it could get done sometime next year," Augustine said. "We don't want a gap in the timing because that's very confusing to consumers - but having a gap in the program is better than having no program at all." Last year in the California Legislature, Assemblymember Greg Wallis, R-Bermuda Dunes, authored Assembly Bill 2678 that extended the decal program through Jan. 1, 2027. It passed both chambers in Sacramento was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom. But the extension under AB 2678 cannot go into effect until something gets passed on Capitol Hill and signed by President Trump, Augustine, said because "federal law supersedes the state law" in this case. The California New Car Dealers Association has not taken a formal stance on whether the sticker program should be extended. "Ideally it would be great if the program could continue …. but it can't go on forever," said Brian Maas, the association's president. "It made sense when the carpool lanes weren't crowded to also include EVs. But we're at a place now where 20% of the California market is EVs. So the incentive, frankly, is much less than it used to be." In an email to the Union-Tribune, Liane Randolph, chair of the California Air Resources Board, called the Clean Air Vehicle decals "a smart, cost-effective incentive that has played an important role driving the adoption of clean and zero-emission vehicles" in the state. "But thanks to the federal government's failure to act, this successful program is coming to an end," she said. "Despite the Trump administration's ongoing efforts to undermine progress, California remains committed to moving forward with the global market toward a zero-emission future." California leads all states in the sale of zero-emissions vehicles, with more than 2.3 million, according to the most recent numbers from the California Energy Commission. In an email, DMV spokesperson Jonathan Groveman said, "The federal government's decision to eliminate this smart and popular program will hurt hundreds of thousands of California drivers, and these drivers will have to pay the price. It's a lose-lose situation and the state is now looking at other options to provide this service to Californians." Groveman did not elaborate on what those options might be. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
California EV Drivers Might Lose HOV Lane Access In September
As newly minted Tesla owner/spokesperson and President of the United States Donald Trump looks to cancel legislation intended to preserve the environment, it seems like California's HOV lane exemption for electric and plug-in vehicles is next on the chopping block. We covered just about everything there is to know about HOV lanes earlier this month, but as it pertains to this topic, one function of HOV lanes is that they encourage road goers to carpool to decrease the number of tailpipes that belch out Earth-warming emissions. California currently allows owners of Clean Air Vehicles to apply for special decals that allow drivers to use the HOV lane regardless of vehicle occupancy, thanks to their decreased or eliminated emissions. The state issued 194,486 Clean Air Vehicle exemptions in 2024, a 52-percent increase in the number issued in 2023, but the current program is set to expire on September 30, and prospects of an extension look grim. The 1998 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century allowed states to issue these permits, and California instituted its program the following year in 1999. Qualifications for these decals have become stricter over the years. Originally any sort of hybrid qualified — you'll still see second-gen Priuses driving around with their original stickers in California — but currently, qualifying vehicles must be fully electric, hydrogen-fuel cell, a plug-in hybrid that meets certain conditions (mainly EV range) or compressed natural gas vehicles that meet certain conditions. Automotive News reports, In 2024, the state's Department of Motor Vehicles issued 194,486 stickers allowing cars to use the HOV lane with single occupancy through the Clean Air Vehicle decal program. That's a 52 percent increase from 2023's 128,122 decals. The popularity of the program paradoxically undermines its efficiency. As more vehicles are able to use the HOV lane, it becomes more crowded, eroding the incentive for both clean-air vehicle drivers and those making a concerted effort to carpool. "You're going to reach some point where you've exhausted that excess capacity," said John Swanton, an air pollution specialist with the California Air Resource Board's communications office. "We're not at the point where, no matter what we do, it's totally exhausted, but the challenge to our legislature is how to keep this a meaningful incentive." Read more: Honda Prologue Costs Less, Gets More Range Than Chevy Blazer EV Sibling Swanton told Automotive News that the impact of discontinuing the program "is not going to be a deal-breaker," since the number of people buying qualifying vehicles to take advantage of the carpool incentive is small nowadays. On the flip side, California Republican State Assemblymember Greg Wallis said it's a "key incentive" for many Californian car shoppers. Wallis authored a bill that would extend the state's Clean Air Vehicle decal initiative through Jan. 1, 2027, but it is currently pending extended federal authorization. That federal authorization is likely going to be very challenging for Republican Assemblymember Wallis' bill. The Republican-led Congress has introduced a bill to eliminate the individual $7,500 EV tax credit, and both Trump and his pick to run the EPA Lee Zeldin have been quite vocal about their intentions to gut environmental protections, so hope for the revival of the decal initiative is waning. According to the California Energy Commission, California had over 1.6 million EVs on its roads at the end of 2024, not including plug-in-hybrid or hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. The impact of losing the Clean Air Vehicle initiative could have been more devastating to widespread EV adoption in years past, but hopefully the impact is minimal should Wallis' proposed program extension get shot down. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
California's carpool lane perk for EVs nears the end of the road
The federal law that enables California's electric vehicles to use the high-occupancy vehicle lane without passengers is set to expire, spelling a likely end to a popular incentive amid broader attacks on EV-friendly policies. The change will come at a time of political polarization around clean transportation and as President Donald Trump's administration proposes eliminating other electric vehicle incentives such as the individual $7,500 EV tax credit. The federal statute says public authorities can allow use of carpool lanes by single-occupancy vehicles meeting certain conditions until Sept. 30. California legislators want to extend the window, but lawmakers in Washington, D.C., have yet to introduce a bill or otherwise move to authorize an extension. California allows certain vehicles, including EVs, to use the high-occupancy vehicle lane without passengers. The table below illustrates the program's popularity over the years as it is set to expire in September. Total decals issued 2019 98,634 2020 59,173 2021 84,493 2022 118,750 2023 128,122 2024 194,486 Total 683,658 Source: California Department of Motor Vehicles Republican State Assemblymember Greg Wallis, who authored the bill to extend the HOV lane rule in California, called it a 'key incentive.' 'Many California auto buyers purchase ZEVs to access HOV lanes,' he said in a statement. 'I strongly encourage the Trump administration to extend the program to keep our transportation transition moving in the right direction.' In 2024, the state's Department of Motor Vehicles issued 194,486 stickers allowing cars to use the HOV lane with single occupancy through the Clean Air Vehicle decal program. That's a 52 percent increase from 2023's 128,122 decals. The popularity of the program paradoxically undermines its efficiency. As more vehicles are able to use the HOV lane, it becomes more crowded, eroding the incentive for both clean-air vehicle drivers and those making a concerted effort to carpool. 'You're going to reach some point where you've exhausted that excess capacity,' said John Swanton, an air pollution specialist with the California Air Resource Board's communications office. 'We're not at the point where, no matter what we do, it's totally exhausted, but the challenge to our legislature is how to keep this a meaningful incentive.' The 1998 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century allowed states to permit a vehicle with fewer than two occupants to operate in the HOV lane if the vehicle is 'certified as an inherently low-emission vehicle.' That law enabled California to create its decal program in 1999, which was designed to incentivize the adoption of new technologies. 'This has been absolutely instrumental,' Swanton said. 'It was a tool used to essentially promote more rapid adoption of those technologies and it did it by utilizing excess capacity in the HOV lanes.' Sign up for the weekly Automotive News Mobility Report newsletter for the latest developments at the intersection of transportation and technology. There have been several versions of the decal program, with different powertrain requirements for eligibility. Now, qualifying vehicles must be 100 percent electric or hydrogen-fuel cell vehicles, plug-in hybrids that meet certain conditions or compressed natural gas vehicles that meet certain conditions. The federally granted state authority to use the HOV lane to encourage clean transport expires in September. Wallis, the California lawmaker, authored a bill that extended the state program until Jan. 1, 2027 ― pending extended federal authorization. There are several considerations for extending the federal law. Those in favor say it would continue to incentivize zero-emissions vehicles at a key moment for the energy transition. Sales for EVs are still growing, but at a slower clip than in years past. 'It would provide a small but an additional incentive to support the growth of the zero-emission vehicle market,' said John Boesel, CEO of CALSTART, a nonprofit focused on clean transportation. However, the inclusion of clean-air vehicles in the HOV lane does not motivate carpooling to reduce congestion overall, which is the true purpose of the lane. There are other ways the state can leverage HOV lanes to reduce congestion and pollution ― for example, by charging a toll for use of the lane that can fund other transportation programs. The decal initiative would also require a federal extension when policies encouraging EV adoption are under threat. The Republican-led Congress has introduced a bill to eliminate the individual $7,500 EV tax credit. California's EV policies are of particular import to Republicans because the state has a waiver from the EPA to write its own, stricter greenhouse gas emissions standards. Critics say this creates a system of dual regulations for automakers. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana has identified eliminating the California waiver as a priority for the legislature. 'The general consensus is that this is not going to be a deal-breaker' if the incentive is not extended, CARB's Swanton said. 'Nowadays, the number of folks that only buy [a qualifying vehicle] because they have this carpool incentive is pretty small.' Have an opinion about this story? Tell us about it and we may publish it in print. Click here to submit a letter to the editor.
