Congress failed to renew a federal program allowing states to let electric car drivers use carpool lanes without additional passengers, forcing California to end EV access to its HOV lanes.
Starting in October, EV drivers will no longer be able to go solo in carpool lanes, writes Aarian Marshall in Wired. The change, which mainly affects California, comes after Congress failed to reauthorize a program that let EVs and hybrids use carpool lanes with just one occupant.
Over 1 million California drivers took advantage of the program since its start in 1999. “California isn't alone. Another pilot project that gave some New York state electric-vehicle drivers access to carpool lanes will also end. Over 48,000 New Yorkers had received decals through that Clean Pass program.”
The change will deal another blow to the electric car market, which has been under attack by the Trump administration, which is ending the $7,500 federal tax credit for EV purchases and attempted to kill the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program (a move later thwarted by the courts). “But while the California program’s end will likely frustrate plenty of EV drivers, it might not make a meaningful dent in the state’s transition to new-energy vehicles.” So far in 2025, 22 percent of new light-duty cars sold in California are electric, hybrid, or hydrogen-powered, much higher than the projected average of 8 percent in the rest of the country.
FULL STORY: The Free Ride for EVs in the Carpool Lane Is Coming to an End
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Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association