Special EV access to Carpool Lanes ends on September 30 in 13 states – Jalopnik

A federal law that allows states to allow EVs to use carpool courts with one passengers will expire on September 30 and for a number of reasons it is unlikely that the federal government will extend this. The 13 states that use this exemption, in particular California, will be obliged to enforce the occupation requirements for EVs the same as for other vehicles from 1 October. This will increase traffic in non-HOV jobs, because EVs are forced with one occupation to use them just like everyone else.

According to the Department of EnergyStates were first allowed to allow the EV exemption in 2005. It was an incentive to put more EVs on the road by giving some residents access to carpool strips that they would otherwise not be allowed to use. This exemption has been renewed a few times, most recently in 2015, with an expiry date of 30 September 2025. Although states are welcome to make their own laws, they must adhere to federal guidelines to be eligible for federal highway financing, which is a strong incentive to do as they say. California has already voted for the expansion of its Clean Air Vehicle program to at least 2027, but this can only be effective if the federal exemption is extended.

After years of government policy that promotes EVs, the Trump government has reversed many of them. The most important is the EV -tax credit for a maximum of $ 7,500 on new cars and $ 4,000 on used cars, which will also end on 30 September. It has also proposed an annual tax of $ 200 for EV drivers, because they do not pay a gas load (which has not increased since 10 August 1993, but that is not important now). This is at the same time as the removal of all fines of fuel consumption that go back to 2022, making it even easier for manufacturers to sell gas guzzers. The congress will probably be more focused on Preventing a government closure On September 30, expanding an EV credit that it doesn’t want to do, especially since it has already been set to finish automatically.

It could be said that the original intention of the exemption, to encourage EV acceptance, has been fulfilled. When the law was first considered in California, less than 2% of the cars on the roads were EVs. That figure has risen to 25.3% today and up to 40.1% in Marin County. More than 500,000 Californians are currently using this exemption and Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia also offer HOV Lane fees for EVs. Unless something happens drastically, this will all come after September 30.

H/T The Mercury News