Single-occupant EVs will no longer be allowed in Arizona HOV lanes starting in October

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Single-occupant EVs will no longer be allowed in Arizona HOV lanes starting in October

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[Zprime29]

Bummer. Tucson doesn't have HOV lanes but it was nice when I came up to the Phoenix area.

 

[K6CCC]

Same thing in California - as I recall it will be 1 September here. But I am retiring on 3 October, so I will care a lot less

 

[MotoGary]

Same here in Utah. I believe it’s a Federal thing that was set to expire nationwide in September 2025. See attached letter from the DOT

 

[TaxmanHog]

Glad they are still allowing motorcycles in the HOV lane, though Massachusetts is not on this list, I've used the south east expressway (I-93) HOV while riding one up, since it's considered 50% or better occupancy.

 

[cwstnsko]

In my driving, it seems like the hours that the HOV lanes are in effect, already allows me to use them most of the time, Except I never drive 85+, so I’m always having to move back out of the HOV lane to get out of the way of the flow of fast-lane traffic.

 

[Buio]

The way I read it , it's not a definite yet. It's up to Congress to decide whether to extend it or not , correct ?

MEMORANDUM ​ TO: Alternative Fuel Vehicle Owners FROM: Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division DATE: March 27, 2025 RE: Alternative Fuel Vehicles and High Occupancy Vehicle Lane Usage ______________________________________________________________________ This is a courtesy memo to customers who own a vehicle with an Alternative Fuel or Energy Efficient license plate. There is an impending federal change to High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane exemptions. HOV lane usage by alternative fuel vehicles is regulated by 23 U.S.C. 166(b). This federal law was enacted in 2005 and includes an expiration date of September 30, 2025. If Congress does not extend the exemption expiration date, your vehicle will no longer qualify you to use HOV lanes with less than two people in the vehicle. You can find additional information about HOV lane usage and exemptions at https://azdot.gov/mvd/high-occupancy-vehicle-hov.

 

[rm5565]

If it means supporting a program in CA, you can be sure the GOP controlled federal govt will kill it. They hate us.

 

[Sgt. Carter]

VA requires any vehicle (except motorcycles) in HOV/HOT lanes to pay a toll, unless it is carrying 3 or more occupants. EV’s and hybrids do not get a free pass.

 

[MotoGary]

From the Utah DOT website:

Program Expiration – Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the Clean Vehicle Pass program shutting down?

The federal legislation allowing UDOT to operate the Clean Vehicle Pass program expires in September of 2025. Starting September 30th, 2025, Clean Vehicle Passes will no longer be valid for use in the lane.

Is there a chance this legislation will be renewed and I can continue using my Pass?

It is very unlikely that this legislation will be renewed.

 

[trev5150]

Single-occupant EVs will no longer be allowed in Arizona HOV lanes starting in October

I replaced my AZ EV license plate with a vet plate and disqualified myself. The law was written so that the EV plate was required, didn't matter if the vehicle was an EVE or not. I asked a trooper at a QT if trooper would enforce the rule if they pulled someone over and found out that it was an EV with custom tags. He claimed ignorance and said he didn't work up in PHX so he didn't know. I personally have never needed one of those lanes. What I need is the stretch of I-10 north Eloy to get more lanes because FFS....

 

[K6CCC]

I have had amateur radio callsign plates on my vehicles for decades. When I attempted to apply for the ZEV sticker on the California DMV webste, the validator refused to work. I ended up calling the DMV and eventually got a tech support person who then gave me to a higher level support person. He told me that he was pretty sure that the validator software had never been configured to validate the amateur radio plates. He confirmed that it was valid and gave me a procedure to request via mail - complete with a "statement of fact" that allowed explaining why I was doing it via mail.

 

[NAVEWO]

I replaced my AZ EV license plate with a vet plate and disqualified myself. The law was written so that the EV plate was required, didn't matter if the vehicle was an EVE or not. I asked a trooper at a QT if trooper would enforce the rule if they pulled someone over and found out that it was an EV with custom tags. He claimed ignorance and said he didn't work up in PHX so he didn't know. I personally have never needed one of those lanes. What I need is the stretch of I-10 north Eloy to get more lanes because FFS....

I never had the AZ EV tag. Started with the veteran plate because I've always had veteran tags. I really don't like the AZ EV tag with the white clouds on a blue background. Seems like the veteran tag is the only exception as far as I can tell. Otherwise, it seems like you are forced to take the AZ EV tag.

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