“EV drivers may soon not be able to ride solo in Calif. carpool lanes”

Madilynne Medina, at SFGate:

“Drivers of cars with a Clean Air Vehicle decal issued by the state have enjoyed the privilege of using an HOV lane without the required number of passengers since 2005 thanks to a federal transportation bill. But unless Congress renews the program through new legislation, it’s set to expire Sept. 30, 2025.

"But Goodwin [a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission] isn’t optimistic that clean air vehicle drivers will get an extension. He told SFGATE he believes the program could disappear for good after its expiration.”

Letting this expire feels premature to me. While we don’t currently have an electric vehicle, we used to. That access was a big reason for buying it, as well as for getting rid of it at the end of the lease when we no longer had the long commutes. Given the price premium that electric vehicles still largely demand, and that we in the Bay Area have so many HOV lanes that are relatively unused, I think this incentive should be renewed.