California's HOV Access for EV Drivers Could Disappear Later This Year

Eric

Eric

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I just got one for the new BMW and it's only good through September, at which time they'll all permanently expire unless action is taken. I've gotten really used to this and it'll suck going back into the regular traffic lanes, I also see where it's unfair to others.

I get where the goal is to incentivize drivers into using EVs but from an environmental standpoint forcing those in ICE vehicles to sit in traffic longer never made sense to me.

 
Contemporary EVs are more punishing to the pavement due to their greater weight, and suffer less from sitting in traffic. A vehicle that weighs half a ton more going at a higher speed will cause more wear flex to the road than a lighter vehicle at the same speed. Free HOV/HOT-lane use for EVs sounds great for EV promotion, but is not infrastructure-practical, especially considering that ICEs are less inefficient at higher speeds while EVs tend to be more inefficient at speed.
 
we didn’t bother ordering the stickers for my wife’s car for this reason. The stickers on my tesla are obviously long-since expired, but I’ve adjusted my hours to avoid the worst of traffic. Now that there are so many electric cars on the road, doesn’t seem like the stickers are necessary anymore.
 
HOV lanes should be banned, period. This isn't the 50's where everybody worked in one central area of the city during the same hours. All they do is create more congestion and ticket revenue.
 
Chew Toy McCoy said:
HOV lanes should be banned, period. This isn't the 50's where everybody worked in one central area of the city during the same hours. All they do is create more congestion and ticket revenue.
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when i lived in NY, they definitely helped. We would literally carpool - the dads in the neighborhood would take turns driving the others to work. The carpool lanes moved much faster than the others lanes. Without carpool lanes, instead of one car there would have been 2-4.
 
Watching Bill Burr's new special on Hulu and he has a bit on how he's amazed people respect the HOV lane. "Meanwhile" you can still join the Klan in 2025 and go driving down the freeway in a car plastered with white supremacist swag and you won't get pulled over unless you are in the HOV lane "but that's only because there isn't another terrorist in the car with you." :ROFLMAO:
 
The lanes going away is one of the main reasons my daughter hasn't bought an EV. She knew the HOV lanes were going away.
 
Herdfan said:
The lanes going away is one of the main reasons my daughter hasn't bought an EV. She knew the HOV lanes were going away.
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I suppose it's really a matter of what's practical, for me the ease of charging at home after my day is way better than having to go to a gas station. On the other hand, and I'm not sure if your daughter is still in SF, if you're in the city and the only way to charge is by going to a station then I would be strictly ICE only as well. As far as the HOV lanes go it's more of a minor inconvenience but sure is nice if you have to drive in rush hour traffic.
 
Chew Toy McCoy said:
Watching Bill Burr's new special on Hulu and he has a bit on how he's amazed people respect the HOV lane. "Meanwhile" you can still join the Klan in 2025 and go driving down the freeway in a car plastered with white supremacist swag and you won't get pulled over unless you are in the HOV lane "but that's only because there isn't another terrorist in the car with you." :ROFLMAO:
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It's fantastic, here's that bit:




Hahaha, Burr always has a great, "However ..." take on things :D
 
Eric said:
I suppose it's really a matter of what's practical, for me the ease of charging at home after my day is way better than having to go to a gas station.
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Yeah, EVs - HOV or not - unless you're in a no-home-charging scenario where you're dealing with congested/pricey (public) charging options - are just better.

They're quicker, quieter, can idle for days - even in an enclosed area - the interior heating systems are quick, they're super stable / less prone to rollover (due to the low COG), the interior room is (usually) better, no smell, no mess, simpler drivetrain with little to no maintenance needs, rarely use brakes - and then back to your quote, if you've got home charging covered, the experience is super fantastic. We got back from Orlando later Thu evening, backed in, unloaded, plugged in, the next morning ... "full tank" :D

Oh, and I guess I should add: yes, there are use cases where an EV is not "better", long distance towing probably being a decent example, but I suspect there's a lot of people who would totally love the experience once they got over the charging anxiety, pro-ICE-for-no-reason stance.
 
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