Green

California is about to run out of plug-in hybrid HOV stickers

State Set A 70,000-Sticker Maximim In January For Plug-In Hybrid Drivers

Here we go again. The state of California, which twice has added so-called "green" stickers allowing solo-driving high-occupancy-vehicle (HOV) access for plug-in hybrid drivers as those stickers were about to run out, may be at it again. Put another way, any Golden State residents looking to take the PHEV plunge may want to do it now.

California, as of May 11, had issued almost 66,300 green stickers, according to the California Air Resources Board (CARB). That means there are about 3,700 of those stickers left to distribute within the most populous US state before it hits its limit.

California initially planned to give out 40,000 green stickers, but was going through them fast enough to warrant bumping that total to 55,000 last July. The state did it again at the beginning of this year, raising the green-sticker limit to a cool 70,000. Drivers of cars such as Ford's C-Max and Fusion Energi models, as well as extended-range plug-ins such as the Chevrolet Volt, are eligible, but not for much longer.

California also runs a white-sticker program for drivers of battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The state has no limits on those, but will stop giving them out at the beginning of 2019. There is also had a yellow-sticker program for hybrids in California, but those stickers ran out in mid-2011. Check out CARB's notice here.

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