These two current hybrid cars, Insight and Prius, are the only ones that qualify. There is a current waiting list of over 45,000 people wanting to BUY these cars in 2004. The state will only issue vouchers for 75,000 drivers of qualifying hybrids. That barely makes a dent in Socal traffic even if all the vouchers were issued there in the worst traffic situations in our entire state.

I don’t remember if fully electric vehicles qualified, it’s been 2 years since I looked at that program. I’m pretty sure they actually DON’T qualify, since I even thought of them at all.

My problems with the HOV lane take over are thus: it’s elitist. Only people who can pay mucho dinero can get the cars in time to qualify for this perk.

It’s stupid. Carpool lanes are there to free up drivers who are conscientious enough to pool. Single driver cars do not belong in carpool lanes, period. They will only clog them up.

It doesn’t add money to the system for voluntary vehicle retirement, the way we incentivize the “giving up” of dirty crap cars.

The vouchers don’t “cost” anything beyond issuance. I feel like you should pay a toll or something to be a single driver in an HOV lane; if hybrid owners can afford the markups, they can afford the fees. and then funnel it into VVR.

This does nothing for CAFE standards, nor does it help with other bills Californian enviros are trying to pass on emissions (lower emissions raise mileage, that’s just a given, and it’s a backdoor route to fight the stupid idiots at the federal level who keep us in archaic 1970s mileage standards.)

I think all hybrids should be required to meet a minimum mileage standard, that includes light trucks that are hybrids (current ligh trucks, even though most are used as SUV passenger vehicles, do not qualify for CAFE standards even at the 1970s levels. See the probs?)

I think you should be able to purchase hybrids straight from the manufacturer instead of filtering through the licensed brokers here in CA, where waiting lists prevail. You should be able to buy it off the internet if you want one. It would create demand from manufacturers beyond what they are currently willing to put out, and create actual options from other manufacturers.

Only certain other vehicles qualify for carpool lanes with one driver and those are the ones we NEED to incentivise heavily, because they are ALTERNATIVE FUEL VEHICLES. Think methanol or biodiesel.

The prius and the insight, while I disagree with those horrible names, both sell themselves quite nicely wihtout accessing the HOV lanes. These drivers should grab a coworker like any reasonable person in the carpool lane.

I’m also pissed because my recently stolen civic actually got 40 mpg on hwy and 37 city, which is considerably better than either of the hybrids if you round out averages for hwy and city driving. Hybrids get better mileage in city due to stop/go traffic and braking. They are nearly purely electric in city drives. My car was good to go pretty much anywhere, anytime, city or hwy, and all the incentive I needed was that it was totally great and a low-energy user.

sigh. I seriously miss my car.

And to have more people who normally would be driving a gas guzzling SUV in these things would be a better thing.

We have two kids and no way in the world would be able to make it without a car. Nothing against bike activists but It just dosent work with kids under 5.

So I say let the hybrids in the HOV lane and lets give everyone an incentive to start getting on the road to being responsible. Plus more owners means more automakers will be putting money into making them more efficient!

I’ll agree that reframing is useful, but limited. You can sell bits of environmentalism by framing it properly, but the bigger issues still loom. Still, if asbestos in the ground in El Dorado turns just one former Doolittle supporter into an environmentalist, I’ll be happy.

As far as carpool lanes go, I think the only way carpool lanes work is when traffic is SO bad that people don’t have a choice (Highway 99) – which is essentially self interest. I don’t think people use carpool lanes to help the environment, save gas, or improve air quality. Most people use carpool lanes strictly to save time.

Not sure if you’re aware of this, but I hold a gold medal in cynicism from the Special Olympics. It’s one of my proudest accomplishments.

You’ve just shot down the entire concept of carpool lanes – they’re specifically designed to change behavior and, if they’re usually empty, then they aren’t working.* Frankly, I’ve always thought carpool lanes were just a lazy way to avoid bigger environmental and transportation questions.

Now, will the ability to use carpool lanes encourage others to purchase hybrids? I doubt it. If it does, I’ll change my stance. But only if it encourages hybrid makers to continue to improve their gas mileage. Hybrids are notorious at not getting the advertised mileage.

Environmentalism is doomed if it has to depend on appealing to self-interest. Environmental questions are notoriously long-term, and self-interest isn’t. By the time environmental degredation gets to a point where it really does start to affect self-interest, it will be far, far too late.

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*Personal observation makes me think carpool lanes are working to some extent. I’ve been on 99 heading into town during the morning commute hour and seen a very full carpool lane. Flow in the lane was about 40mph while on the rest of the freeway it was stop and go.