If you are like me, the waiting times to achieve various milestones within the new car purchase process seem interminable. Here is my own (ongoing) timeline (which I will update in the coming days/weeks):
For now I will just say that the California Legislature clearly intend to encourage clean-air vehicle purchases and to reward buyers of such with access to HOV ("diamond") commuter lanes. So why is DMV allowed to partially thwart these good intentions with long delays? As we know, HOV stickers already come with limited life-spans. Communication with DMV about applications is challenging, at best--more like impossible. Speaking as a (retired) state civil servant myself, I find the bureaucratic delay in receiving HOV stickers unnecessary and inexcusable, COVID or no COVID. If nothing else, applicants should receive emails/texts at key milestones--e.g., application received; application approved, et cetera. (For example, see my results, above, for the fast and communicative FasTrak CAV toll tag application procedure.) Better yet, EV drivers should not have to lose months off their legally-entitled access to commuter lanes.
August 28, 2021 Addendum: History of HOV Sticker Eligible Cars
Yes, the changes over time of this (of course politically-based) program has at least in part reflected what you said:
CNG = compressed natural gas
LPG = liquefied petroleum gas
Don't get bogged in the specific numbers; instead look at the gross patterns over time. Very interesting. We live in a period of rapid change to the fundamental standard of the personal vehicle. Before 1900 is was by horse. In the 20th Century it became petroleum-powered. We are now seeing the transition to electric-motor-driven. The question is not if electric vehicles will dominate car sales; but when electric vehicles will will be the predominate vehicle type (and also, yes, when will self-driving cars actually achieve true/safe Level 5 on-the-road performance).
One thing I noticed: no mention of the original hybrid vehicles, like Prius. Is that right, that Prius wasn't eligible until its plug-in version became available in 2012? I don't think that is right because there was the Yellow Decal Program in 2004 for hybrids, correct?
I am going to copy this to my first (OP, Post #1) post so it can be edited for corrections, if needed.
- January 29, 2021: Ordered new “2021” (out-of-state) inventory Model X ($100 deposit).
- March 17, 2021: Received car, with temporary, paper license plates, at Tesla service center (Tesla filed pertinent California DMV paperwork sometime thereafter).*
- April 17, 2021: Received permanent metal license plates and registration from DMV.
- April 19, 2021: Mailed (via USPS 1st Class mail) High Occupancy Vehicle sticker application (w/$22 check) to DMV.**
- June 17, 2021: Check cashed by DMV.
- June 28, 2021: HOV stickers received by mail (DMV envelope stamp-dated June 24, 2021).***
- June 29, 2021: Submitted online application for FasTrak Clean Air Vehicle Toll-tag.
- July 1, 2021: Received FasTrak email confirmation notification--my CAV tag application was reviewed and approved, and my CAV toll tag mailed.****
- July 3, 2021: FasTrak CAV Toll-tag and supporting materials received.*****
___________
* I should have applied for the HOV stickers then--using VIN and temporary plate number--instead of waiting a month for the permanent plates.
** Distance from my home to main Sacramento DMV (HOV Program) offices = ~20 miles.. Distance to FasTrak offices = ~75 miles.
*** Time needed to receive HOV stickers: 70 days.
**** Now that is how an online application program should be run! Kudos to FasTrak!
For now I will just say that the California Legislature clearly intend to encourage clean-air vehicle purchases and to reward buyers of such with access to HOV ("diamond") commuter lanes. So why is DMV allowed to partially thwart these good intentions with long delays? As we know, HOV stickers already come with limited life-spans. Communication with DMV about applications is challenging, at best--more like impossible. Speaking as a (retired) state civil servant myself, I find the bureaucratic delay in receiving HOV stickers unnecessary and inexcusable, COVID or no COVID. If nothing else, applicants should receive emails/texts at key milestones--e.g., application received; application approved, et cetera. (For example, see my results, above, for the fast and communicative FasTrak CAV toll tag application procedure.) Better yet, EV drivers should not have to lose months off their legally-entitled access to commuter lanes.
*****
August 28, 2021 Addendum: History of HOV Sticker Eligible Cars
I highly doubt the program will be extended. It will have achieved its purpose. Maybe it'll continue for solar-powered vehicles without a plug or some other type of vehicle that is not numerous enough to clog up the HOV lanes. But personally, I don't think solar-powered cars without a plug are very environmentally friendly. It's way better to put the solar panels on a building and then charge the battery from the mains than put them on cars where they might not be generating any power if the car is parked indoors or has a battery that's already full.
Yes, the changes over time of this (of course politically-based) program has at least in part reflected what you said:
- Started (1999?) with hybrids and battery cars.
- The yellow-decal hybrid program was limited to just 85,000 vehicles.
- At some point folded in (some, not all?) plug-in hybrids.
- Likewise, hydrogen fuel cell cars.
- Eventually phased out hybrids.
- 2022 eligible vehicles apparently don't include Tesla cars?
CNG = compressed natural gas
LPG = liquefied petroleum gas
- 1997: CNG (2)
- 1998: CNG (2) & electric (1)
- 1999: CNG (3) & electric (1)
- 2000: CNG (3) & electric (1)
- 2001: CNG (4) & electric (1)
- 2002: CNG (3) & electric (1)
- 2003: CNG (4), hydrogen (2), & electric (1)
- 2004: CNG (4) & hydrogen (2)
- 2005: CNG (6) & LPG (1)
- 2006: CNG (4)
- 2007: CNG (5) & hydrogen (3)
- 2008: CNG (5), hydrogen (2), & electric (2, one is Roadster)
- 2009: CNG (5), hydrogen (2), & battery electric (2, both Roadsters)
- 2010: CNG (7), hydrogen (2), & electric (2, one is Roadster)
- 2011: CNG (8), hydrogen (3), LPG (1), & electric (7, including Leaf)
- 2012: CNG (15), hydrogen (2), electric (9, including Model S), & plug-in hybrid (2, including Volt and Prius)
- 2013: CNG (9), LPG (1), hydrogen (1), electric (11), & plug-in hybrid (2, including Volt)
- 2014: CNG (6), LPG (1), hydrogen (1), electric (13), & plug-in hybrid (8)
- 2015: CNG (3), hydrogen (1), electric (15), & plug-in hybrid (6)
- 2016: CNG (4), hydrogen (2), electric (18, including Model X), & plug-in hybrid (10)
- 2017: hydrogen (3), electric (19, including Model 3), & plug-in hybrid (12)
- 2018: hydrogen (2), electric (22), & plug-in hybrid (18)
- 2019: hydrogen (3), electric (22), & plug-in hybrid (16)
- 2020: hydrogen (3), electric (20, including Model Y), & plug-in hybrid (17)
- 2021: hydrogen (3), electric (31), & plug-in hybrid (18)
- 2022: electric (11; no Tesla?) & plug-in hybrid (7)
Don't get bogged in the specific numbers; instead look at the gross patterns over time. Very interesting. We live in a period of rapid change to the fundamental standard of the personal vehicle. Before 1900 is was by horse. In the 20th Century it became petroleum-powered. We are now seeing the transition to electric-motor-driven. The question is not if electric vehicles will dominate car sales; but when electric vehicles will will be the predominate vehicle type (and also, yes, when will self-driving cars actually achieve true/safe Level 5 on-the-road performance).
One thing I noticed: no mention of the original hybrid vehicles, like Prius. Is that right, that Prius wasn't eligible until its plug-in version became available in 2012? I don't think that is right because there was the Yellow Decal Program in 2004 for hybrids, correct?
I am going to copy this to my first (OP, Post #1) post so it can be edited for corrections, if needed.
Last edited: