California HOV Lane Access: How Important?

[gascant]

All:
Another opportunity to shape statewide EV infrastructure comes as a request that SF BayLEAFs received this week from Breathe California (http://www.lungsrus.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false in support of AB 2405 (Choose Clean Cars Act 2012). They received an inquiry from the State Senate Housing and Transportation Committee regarding the correlation of HOV Lane access incentive to the purchase of EVs. With limited data on this for EV’s (though plenty for hybrids), we decided to conduct a very brief survey of California LEAF owners. Please take a quick moment to fill out this Breathe California Quick Survey ( https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGgxSGE3MjQ0NUl3bEhaWGJlNDhwTmc6MQ#gid=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ) . Your responses are anonymous. The final committee hearing is on Tuesday morning (June 12th) so the survey will end by Noon Monday.

 

[thankyouOB]

i filled out the survey.
If we want to keep HOV access -- at least until the EV goes mainstream -- I think the right answer is that HOV access was the primary reason for purchase of EV.

 

[gascant]

i filled out the survey.
If we want to keep HOV access -- at least until the EV goes mainstream -- I think the right answer is that HOV access was the primary reason for purchase of EV.

Great! Thanks!
I'll post the results here next week.

 

[Nubo]

i filled out the survey.
If we want to keep HOV access -- at least until the EV goes mainstream -- I think the right answer is that HOV access was the primary reason for purchase of EV.

I know, right?

Honestly I would have gotten it either way. Maybe I shouldn't take the survey.

 

[Ready2plugin]

It was my primary reason I purchased my first Hybrid, then LEAF but now that I have an EV, I don't think I could ever go back to an ICE for my commuter car....carpool sticker or not.

 

[surfingslovak]

You might want to have a look at this article about the Volt. It is believed that HOV lane access drives its sales in California.

Lure of carpool lanes

The carpool lane incentive has been in effect since February. The state has 1,400 miles of carpool lanes that are coveted real estate for commuters grappling with congestion. Some resort to inflatable dolls and mannequins to appear to qualify for the lanes.

GM says the Volt is selling particularly strong in the San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego markets -- areas notorious for intense congestion. Mike Luner, executive manager of Del Grande Dealer Group's Capitol Chevrolet in San Jose, estimated that carpool lanes were the "primary deciding factor" for nine in 10 Volt buyers.

"Time is the most valuable commodity to these people," Luner said. "Our idea is that we want to take the opportunity to capture them with the Volt but for them to consider the other products that Chevrolet has in the future."

 

[gascant]

You might want to have a look at this article about GM Volt. It is believed that HOV lane access drives its sales in California.

Do you have a link to the article? Or did I miss that?

 

[surfingslovak]

Do you have a link to the article? Or did I miss that?

Sorry, I forgot to link to the source. Here it is: http://on.freep.com/cavoltsalessurge" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[gascant]

Do you have a link to the article? Or did I miss that?

Sorry, I forgot to link to the source. Here it is: http://on.freep.com/cavoltsalessurge" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Cool! Thanks a lot!
I will reference it in the report to Breathe California.

 

[TonyWilliams]

I just saw a TV advertisement for the Volt which not only specified it was California HOV capable, but showed the green sticker in the ad.

 

[MrFish]

I will fill out the survey. The HOV access was very important to me. That is why I am so disappointed that AB2405 will allow the 110 and 10 freeways to not honor the stickers due to them being part of
federally supported value-pricing and transit development program involving high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes conducted by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
I am upset that this is the HOV lane (10fwy) that I bought the Leaf to drive on. I also fear that as the state budget worsens, all HOV lanes will be seen as a source of revenue and all become federally supported value-pricing and transit development program involving high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes.
I don't really have a clue as to what can be done though.

 

[thankyouOB]

Yes, Mr. Fish, it is an ugly development from the EV point of view and from allowing special access for the rich.
It may sound contradictory, but it is a good thing to encourage EVs and carpooling, and NOT a good thing to create special freeway lanes for the wealthy or those who can deduct the cost of tolls on their taxes of pay for it with their business expense accounts.

 

[gascant]

I just saw a TV advertisement for the Volt which not only specified it was California HOV capable, but showed the green sticker in the ad.

Yes, they've also been running newspaper ads saying that "HOV Lane Capable" Volts are now in stock with a big graphic of a sticker mockup. We need to get Nissan in on this.

 

[EricH]

I just saw a TV advertisement for the Volt which not only specified it was California HOV capable, but showed the green sticker in the ad.

Sorry for the ignorance - can someone remind what the difference (green vs. white) is in the stickers? Hoping the green one expires sooner, and that could be Nissan's pushback on the Volt campaign... "Wouldn't you rather have a sticker that doesn't expire before your lease does?"

 

[SanDust]

Hoping the green one expires sooner, and that could be Nissan's pushback on the Volt campaign... "Wouldn't you rather have a sticker that doesn't expire before your lease does?"

Technically they expire at the same time, 1 January 2015. http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/carpool/carpool.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; The white ones are more likely to be extended but probably both will be.

 

[davewill]

Technically they expire at the same time, 1 January 2015. http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/carpool/carpool.htmThe" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; white ones are more likely to be extended but probably both will be.

The green ones are also limited in number. (40,000?)

 

[SanDust]

The green ones are also limited in number. (40,000?)

Yes. That's explained in the link. Sorry if the link didn't work. I got the "The" from the next sentence included in the link. Should work now.

 

[EricBayArea]

I replied.

Personally it was a nice-to-have but even if they weren't available I would have still purchased my LEAF. I use it on occasion when I drive into SF for a reduced bridge toll, but my drive does not take me on any HOV roads. I spoke to 2 PiP owners recently, both of which bought the PiP for the green HOV stickers and both told me they don't plan on plugging it in unless there's a premiere public parking space available with free charging. Also got me wondering why the restrictions for green stickers are not more stringent. California says that the green stickers are to promote Zero Emissions Vehicle driving. That being the case, a PiP can't even cruise at 65mph in the HOV lane in EV mode. :?

 

[cwerdna]

I just saw a TV advertisement for the Volt which not only specified it was California HOV capable, but showed the green sticker in the ad.

Yep. I've seen seeing that ad too.

It would help if Nissan, Mitsubishi and Toyota (for the PiP) put up equivalent ads here. I haven't seen any though. Not sure why...

 

[gascant]

Thanks to everyone who participated in the survey. The results were compiled and sent in report format to Breathe California. They forwarded it on to the State Senate Transportation and Housing Committee. We got 107 responses--not bad for 3 days over a weekend. I hope to get some feedback on what happens next. Data are shown, plotted, below. We could have guessed how it would turn out