Do you need a FasTrak tag/account to solo drive your stickered EV on I-580 and I-680 Express lanes?
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Express Lanes and FasTrak
- Thread starter joebiker25
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silentsnow31802
Member
FasTrak
Am I Toll-Exempt | Bay Area Express Lane
I was just looking into this a couple days ago. It seems you do not need a tag/account on I-680 since you do not want it charging you anyways. However you EV must have a white or green sticker to use the express lane.
It also seems you NEED a Fastrak tag/account to use the I-580 lane. A Flex tag to be exact.
Either way those two links should answer any questions you have on the subject.
Am I Toll-Exempt | Bay Area Express Lane
I was just looking into this a couple days ago. It seems you do not need a tag/account on I-680 since you do not want it charging you anyways. However you EV must have a white or green sticker to use the express lane.
It also seems you NEED a Fastrak tag/account to use the I-580 lane. A Flex tag to be exact.
Either way those two links should answer any questions you have on the subject.
JPP
Active Member
You need the Flex transponder. Just leave it set to 3 as SoccerMan notes. FWIW instead of mounting it under the parcel shelf (which I sometimes move/remove), I have mounted it in the center of the rear lift gate window at the bottom edge. It then is not in the line of sight from the inside rear view mirror.
Perfect! I rarely use I-580 during commute hours but will get a FasTrak transponder just in case.
TR5642
Member
Do I read correctly that you are using the transponder in the rear of the car? (either under the shelf or on rear window?) Does it work reliably there? Trying to find a spot on the windshield is driving me nuts. I've taken to holding it out the sunroof :-(
JPP
Active Member
Yes. my wife's 2015 S70D does not have any RF 'window' in the front windshield. I even tried the pano roof. I have mounted it centered in the rear liftgate window at the bottom edge. When looking from the inside front (through the rear view mirror) it is fully obscured by the tall middle seat headrest. Works 100% of the time with the current generation FasTrak Flex rectangular switched toll transponder in landscape position. FWIW, since her car is black, and the interior is black, I took black electrical tape and wrapped the whole thing, and substituted black Velcro for the white stuff. It basically disappears when looking from outside in.
SoccerMan94043
Member
I've only been charged twice, going through the Bay Bridge toll. Both times worked when mounted under the center of the parcel shelf. There is a thread on the mounting placement somewhere around this site.
JPP
Active Member
This works as well, as long as you don't need to remove your parcel shelf and leave it at home....
silentsnow31802
Member
I have mine under the parcel shelf in the center. You can only see it if you lift the shelf up. Out of my last 13 transactions it only missed the transponder once.
TMobe
I have forgotten more than I remember
Am I reading it wrong? I thought it read you do not need a transponder at all?
Bay Area Express Lanes Toll Tag Rules for Toll-Exempt Vehicles
Bay Area Express Lanes Toll Tag Rules for Toll-Exempt Vehicles
- No FasTrak® tag is needed to travel free in express lanes that are open today.
- If you have a FasTrak tag in your vehicle, store it in the Mylar bag provided by FasTrak to avoid being charged in express lanes.
You need it for I-580;
Bay Area Express Lanes Toll Tag Rules for Toll-Exempt Vehicles
- No FasTrak® tag is needed to travel free in express lanes that are open today.
- If you have a FasTrak tag in your vehicle, store it in the Mylar bag provided by FasTrak to avoid being charged in express lanes.
- A FasTrak Flex® tag is required to travel toll-free on the I-580 Express Lanes.
JPP
Active Member
...and in a Tesla with the white HOV stickers, just leave the Flex transponder switch in position 3, for carpools and qualifying vehicles.
Wuggado?
Member
Not quite so easy. On I-680 if you have a transponder outside of the mylar it will read it and charge you. The I-680 lanes do not have the Flex hardware, so they don't know if you are using the lane as a carpooler or not. Thus the charge. As already mentioned, you have to have the Flex on I-580 to use the lanes and not get charged.Just get a fast track toll tag, set it to three+, stick it under your trunk parcel shelf and forget it.
FasTrak
silentsnow31802
Member
m6bigdog
Member
Not Exactly,
I -680 Sunol does have FasTrak Flex Hardware as per their current FAQ: Also, I have been using a FasTrak Flex Toll Tag set to 3+ since 2015 with no Express Lane usage charges.
FAQ states:
I-680 Sunol Express Lanes
Located along a 14-mile stretch of southbound I-680 from State Route 84 south of Pleasanton to State Route 237 in Milpitas, the I-680 Sunol Southbound Express Lane has been in operation since September 2010. A northbound express lane along this same corridor is in the environmental documentation phase and is expected to begin construction in late 2017.
WHEN DO THEY OPERATE?
The I-680 Express Lanes operate Monday - Friday 5 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Outside of these hours, the lanes are open to all vehicles at no charge.
WHO CAN TRAVEL IN THE I-680 EXPRESS LANE?
- Solo Driver with a valid FasTrak account may pay a toll to travel
- May carry a FasTrak Flex toll tag set to 1, or
- May carry a standard FasTrak or bumper tag
- Carpools, Clean Air Vehicles with qualifying DMV sticker, Motorcycles, and Transit vehicles may travel toll free under the following conditions:
- No toll tag in the vehicle (none required)
- Standard FasTrak toll tag placed in mylar bag
- FasTrak Flex tag set to 2 or 3+. FasTrak Flex has a switch that allows drivers to designate whether they are driving solo, or are a carpool with 2 or 3+.
You guys are asking the wrong question! I'd like to see FasTrak support integrated into the Tesla electronics. Imagine being able to check your account balance on the screen, and see a payment confirmation message on the screen whenever you drive through a toll area. Plus it would be great to have a smooth, integrated look without having a separate velcro-ed box cluttering up your windshield. Tesla can do this - the technology can't be that complicated!
zanary
Active Member
I think the problem is that Xerox (maybe they switch vendors) don't allow real-time access to the FasTrak data at least in the Bay Area. Access your account can be done through the web browser, but it's an awful experience, but then again it's not real-time access.
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