With carpool perk ending for hybrids, some owners are trading up
By Gary Richards
San Jose Mercury Newsgrichards@mercurynews.com
Posted: 05/05/2011 08:16:16 PM PDT
A new turf war is coming to a carpool lane near you, and this time Prius owners will be forced to watch from the slow lane.
Starting July 1, those yellow carpool stickers cherished by hybrid owners will expire, but by early next year a new generation of super-clean vehicles sporting green and white stickers will be taking their place in the carpool lane.
The looming expiration date already has 85,000 hybrid drivers and their jealous commuter counterparts jockeying for position -- as the Department of Motor Vehicles mails out warnings this week that driving solo in the carpool lane will soon mean a $450 fine.
Andy and Thu Nguyen of Fremont are trading in their Prius for an all-electric Nissan Leaf just to keep the carpool perk.
Jan Williams is bummed. The San Jose woman and her Prius will be booted out of the diamond lane.
And Bill Hogan of Newark is gleeful that pious hybrid owners will no longer be able to hog the No. 1 lane.
"I don't feel sorry for any of those drivers," said Hogan, who carpools with a couple of buddies across the Dumbarton Bridge to San Carlos. "You should not be able to drive in those lanes unless you have two people in a car."
While ordinary hybrid owners will lose the diamond lane privilege, 40,000 drivers will gain carpool rights if they buy a car like the Toyota Prius plug-in. And an unlimited number could gain access if they are willing to buy an electric car or one that runs on compressed natural gas.
Popular program
The carpool perk has been a social experiment, crafted when Californians were in love with gas-guzzling SUVs that would get as little as 12 mpg. The idea was to entice people to buy fuel-efficient, clean-burning, 45 mpg vehicles like the Prius and Honda Civic and Insight hybrids by letting them drive in the carpool lane without a passenger.
Did it ever work. Hybrid sales took off, with 65,000 yellow stickers initially approved in 2005, a number that increased to 85,000 a couple of years later. Demand was so high that buyers had to wait six to eight months to get their cars. Used hybrids with carpool stickers were selling for $2,000 above Kelley Blue Book estimates. And when the 85,000 limit was reached, some people's stickers were stolen.
It's not hard to understand the carpool perk's appeal. Williams shaves 20 minutes off her drive on Highway 101 from South San Jose to Mountain View. Twenty minutes each way, every day.
It's been a great ride, and she's sorry to see it end.
"Honestly, I am feeling a little pit in my stomach thinking about the prospect of driving with the minions," said Williams, an accounting manager for a nonprofit organization. "There are several in my office in the same boat and we are counting down the days. Damn state government. Why couldn't they just leave well enough alone? We have been just fine for the last five years, for crying out loud."
The carpool carrot is what prompted the Nguyens last month to decide to sell their Prius and pay $35,000 for a silver Leaf (minus $12,500 in tax breaks). Thu Nguyen may use it more, taking advantage of the carpool lane on Interstate 880.
"The carpool sticker was the No. 1 reason for our purchase of the Leaf," Andy Nguyen said. "My wife commutes to San Francisco daily from Fremont, so the stickers are a godsend."
Some motorists wanting carpool stickers are moving slowly to decide what vehicle to purchase next. A shortage of charging stations reduces the range of the Leaf, and one has to plan well ahead to find a compressed natural gas station. Plus, electric and CNG vehicles may exceed $30,000 in price.
The Chevy Volt, which runs on both gas and batteries, doesn't yet qualify for the green stickers. But Chevrolet expects the 2013 model will meet California's stiff clean-air requirements.
The state Air Resources Board has categorized upcoming Volts as ULEV (ultra low emission vehicles), meaning they missed the mark for the more stringent designations PZEV (partial zero emission vehicles) and SULEV (super ultra low emission vehicles), which qualify for green stickers. The PZEV and SULEV categories are reserved for vehicles that are 90 percent cleaner than 2011 models.
'It's Prius envy'
Even some Prius owners think it's time for the carpool perk to expire.
"I am happy to see the carpool access experiment come to a much-deserved end," said Ted Coopman of Santa Cruz, who never applied for stickers for his 2005 Prius. "While I support inducements for buying hybrids, granting carpool access was a major mistake. Hybrids don't get people off the road, and reducing traffic is the primary reason for carpool lanes."
Some Prius drivers have another reason for wanting the yellow-sticker program over, saying that might ease the bashing they sometimes get from others.
"I hear it all the time," said Brenda Phillips of San Jose. "Prius drivers go too fast. Prius drivers go too slow. Prius drivers don't use their blinkers. It's Prius envy, and I think the carpool stickers have caused a lot of that."
CARPOOL STICKERS
Yellow stickers: Solo drivers of the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic and certain Honda Insight hybrids will lose carpool privileges July 1.
White stickers: Solo drivers in electric vehicles and those running on compressed natural gas can use carpool lanes until Jan. 1, 2015. There is no limit to the number of cars; 10,000 stickers have been issued.
Green stickers: The Prius plug-in is the only new hybrid-electric vehicle that now qualifies for carpool use. Applications will be accepted Jan. 1. More vehicles will likely be approved later.
On the Web: Go to www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/carpool/carpool.htm for more information on types of vehicles that qualify for clean air stickers.
Source: Department of Motor Vehicles
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