I recently found a Hybrid/Green Car monthly newsletter that is excellent. The editor briefly summarizes many of the same topics we (less concisely) talk about here. I find the editor's approach to be open and refreshing. The Hybrid Vehicle and Alternate Fuels Report (Wa. State DOT) - All issues WSDOT - Budget and Financial Analysis - Hybrid Vehicle and Alternative Fuel Report Here are a few highlights I noticed: FEBRUARY 2014 Issue http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/NR/rdonlyres/81D95EC2-B77D-454C-958E-B0EFB03CF569/0/HybridReportFebruary282014.pdf >The Wa. state EV tax exemption currently slated to end 2015 so plan your Wa. EV purchases accordingly MAY 30 2014 ISSUE http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/NR/rdonlyres/64E56482-7D3E-4F3A-A622-252EEAB403D8/0/HybridReportMay302014.pdf >US Senate proposed (I don't think it was adopted) a blow to hybrids by removing hybrids from single occupant HOV lanes going forward (existing hybrid HOV access would be allowed to continue). >Morgan Stanley analyst declaration that EV's (other than Tesla) are "dead" with rebuttal by IHS Automotive: EV doing better than hybrids and "not dead" I don't think we talked about the HOV proposal on Prius Chat...I have mixed emotions...but I think I would leave it up to the states. VA first and CA later have showed that free HOV access can be the single most important incentive in green car sales. I think I would let the state decide if and which vehicles gets that incentive. The senate proposal would remove hybrids...rather than selecting winning technology, I would say over 45 MPG EPA or something like that.
I don't understand why the proposed federal changes to the HOV access issue have any relevance to Washington State. We don't have it, we have very little political demand for it, and our very high adoption rate of these vehicles in the absence of such incentives demonstrates that it is wholly unnecessary here. On top of that, many of our HOV lanes are already heavily used for their primary and secondary missions. Adding this tertiary mission would result in a deluge of additional users, enough to be catastrophic to the existing missions.
May not have Wa. state relevance I suppose. The Wa. newsletter is good because it gives a global/national view of green car happenings...there is some Wa. specific stuff but also good for wider audience.
I know. So the Senate was basically proposing to make national policy the same as CA policy (going forward). I assume this new HOV provision died when Congress failed to adopt the new transportation funding plan, but we probably hear about this again in 2015.
