About a year and a half ago I sent a letter to George Valverde of the California DMV (cc'ing Arnold and my local congresswoman, Jane Harman), asking whether it was possible for California to adopt a program similar to West Virginia and Arizona, which have a different license plate for HOV access vehicles. The response I got was that the stickers were approved (10 years ago) by people representing automakers and drivers, after a revision to the first proposed design. So long story short - no, California was not going to change its program. The letter also referenced the difficulty and cost of getting stickers back that are already on cars (which I found to be a nonsensical comment, given that when the stickers are obsolete they don't need to be retreived).
In terms of sticker removal, I recently purchased #835, which had all three stickers prominently placed on the rear bumper. In fact, they were too prominently placed for my taste, asymmetrically, and at an angle. About as un-aesthetic as I could imagine, which is a travesty on this car (IMHO).
Radiant Red 2010 on Ebay
So I removed the two big ones. When you remove a California HOV sticker the plastic sticker comes off easily but the white paint on the back of the sticker remains adhered to the paint in a pattern that says "VOID VOID VOID," which is designed to render the sticker unusable. Getting the white VOIDs off of the paint (radiant red, in my case) took some time, but I was able to do it without harming the paint. I had been advised by Bob at Tesla LA that the paint on Roadsters is thin, with a thin clear coat, so beware. But all ended up well - my secret was to use peanut butter and my fingernails. I left the small sticker on the bumper (at an angle). I just resubmitted the two big stickers to the DMV in an application for new stickers, which I plan to reapply more aesthetically. We'll see what means in implementation once I get them.
As for the dialogue on the 110 and 10 toll lanes, the comments from government officials indicate that there is an understanding that we are being compromised, and I find this to be wholly inconsistent with the stated policy that white stickers would enjoy HOV access benefits through 2015. I also fail to see how it would be impossible or difficult to permit continued access for white stickers (this has been accomplished in NorCal). It seems no different from allowing vehicles with multiple occupants, which appears to be the plan. All that said, I am probably willing to pay a reasonable toll. Also, it is possible that the toll lane project, which is expected to cost $200 million and generate $20 million in annual revenue (that's a crappy ROI), may get delayed or nixed due to budget concerns.
Stretches of 10 and 110 carpool lanes being converted to Toll [Archive] - Natural Gas Vehicle Owner Community
