The California Department of Motor Vehicles has announced that Green Clean Air Vehicle decals – which allow single-occupant plug-in hybrids to use the HOV lane – are no longer being issued. In late 2015, the DMV hit their limit of 85,000 stickers.
Although the limit has been raised in the past, there is no guarantee that additional decals will be authorized in the coming months. The DMV will continue to accept applications without payment for people who want to go on a waitlist should additional decals be authorized.
White Clean Air Vehicle decals (for natural gas or 100% electric vehicles) are still available and an unlimited number can be issued. Both the Green and White decals are valid until 2019.
For more information, visit the California DMV’s decal information page or call 800-242-4450.
Tag: hybrid
Carsharing Coming to Richmond and El Cerrito (2015)
Thanks to a nearly $1 million grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), carsharing is about to become a reality in both Richmond and El Cerrito.
The MTC has awarded a $973,864 grant to fund a program called CarShare4All, a collaboration between City CarShare, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) and the Bay Area Climate Collaborative (BACC). The program will deploy vehicles to El Cerrito, Richmond and Oakland, including a wheelchair-accessible van.
“Carsharing is a very important part of our strategy to provide transportation options,” said Kevin Romick, Chair of the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, “This project with City CarShare and the Bay Area Climate Collaborative provides critical links to and from public transit, which provides multi-modal travel choices for Contra Costa residents.”
According to a project factsheet released by Richmond Mayor-elect Tom Butt, beyond bringing carsharing to El Cerrito and Richmond, the CarShare4All program will allow City CarShare to expand access to discounted memberships for low- and moderate-income families and increase the availability of wheelchair-accessible vans to its members.
A date for initial service has not yet been released.
For more information about the program, read the CarShare4All fact sheet (posted by Richmond Mayor-elect Tom Butt) or City CarShare’s press release.
For more information on carsharing in Contra Costa County, visit 511CC’s carsharing page.
Are You HOV Eligible? (2013)
(If in doubt, check the DMV website.)
With so many fuel efficient motor vehicles on the market these days it’s difficult to keep track of which has what special technology to help you save gas. However with notorious Bay Area traffic, perhaps more important to keep track of here– which ones qualify for use of High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes by single occupant vehicles ?
California law allows single-occupant use of High Occupancy Vehicle (HOVs) lanes by certain qualifying clean alternative fuel vehicles however they require a Clean Air Vehicle Sticker issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles. Unfortunately the yellow stickers commuters may have first grown accustomed to a few years are no longer valid– that program ended on 7/1/2011 and vehicles that qualified for the yellow stickers do not qualify for any other type of decals. The two types of stickers that are currently being distributed are (Via CA–DMV):
White Clean Air Vehicle Stickers are available to an unlimited number of qualifying Federal Inherently Low Emission Vehicles (ILEVs). Cars that meet these requirements are typically certified pure zero emission vehicles (100% battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell) and compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles. The expiration date for the white stickers has been extended to January 1, 2015.
Green Clean Air Vehicle Stickers are available to the first 40,000 applicants that purchase or lease cars meeting California’s Enhanced Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emission Vehicle (AT PZEV) requirement.
To see a full list of which cars are eligible for HOV lane use, head over to the CA-DMV.
(Note: The CA-DMV notes the 2012 and 2013 Chevy Volt are eligible for HOV lane use sticker if purchased with Low Emission Package– in California the Chevy Volt comes standard with the Low Emission Package so no additional purchase is needed to qualify for the sticker.)
Low-Emission Id for High-Occupancy Lane Use
Do you drive a low-emission motor vehicle? Would you like to get a sticker so you can use a High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane??
Vehicles meeting specified emissions standards may be issued CAV decals allowing the vehicle to utilize the HOV (carpool or diamond) lanes of California’s freeways while being driven by a single occupant. Image via: CA DMV
Check out the DMV’s Section 5205.5 and see if your car has what it takes to qualify for a sticker.
Green Drive Expo on Saturday October 9th in Richmond
Where: Craneway Pavilion, 1414 Harbor Way South, Richmond, CA (minutes from 580 – directions)
When: Saturday, October 9, 2010 from 10 AM – 5 PM
Cost: $10 at the door, or free with a discount (visit mybart.org for details)
Details: Come to the Bay Area’s first consumer expo dedicated to hybrid, plug-in, ev and other high-tech, ecofriendly vehicles. Stop by for test drives, presentations on green and clean vehicles, and informative exhibits.
Explore the full range of green alternative transportation from concept cars to purchase-ready vehicles including electric cars, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, biodiesel, diesel, compressed natural gas (CNG), and more.
For additional information, or to register for the event, visit http://www.greendriveexpo.com/.
This week’s headlines in transportation & transit: Mar. 20-26, 2010
Local News
- Sink hole shuts down part of Tassajara Road in Dublin March 25-26, 2010
- 511 Contra Costa is now on Facebook! Become a fan to get entered to win $25 to Peet’s Coffee & Tea.
- Highway 4 to close near Discovery Bay this weekend from 8 PM on Friday, March 26th to 4 AM on Monday March 29th
- Sunset magazine shows readers how to plan a car-free vacation to Union City
Bay Area & California News
- BART seeks input at community meetings in Alameda, Contra Costa and San Mateo counties
- State money could mean fewer transit service cuts
- We stumbled on a nearly 50-year old map of BART in its planning stages–pretty neat!
- Schwarzenegger provides CA transit agencies with a one-time allocation of $400 million and $350 million for fiscal year 2011
- Handy tip of the week: look online to cut wait times at the DMV
- Major AC Transit schedule changes will take effect Sunday March 28, 2010
- California offers $4 million in rebates offered on a first-come, first-served basis to those who purchase a hybrid or electric car
For these headlines, travel tips, promotions and more, follow 511 Contra Costa on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.
Electric Vehicle Survey – Free Coffee Giveaway
Take our survey about electric/hybrid cars and get a $10 gift certificate for Peet’s Coffee. Its short and simple, but this offer expires soon so act fast.
