There has been a controversy over the California law that prohibits Volts driven solo from High Occupancy Vehicle lanes ? a privilege enjoyed by drivers of some other extremely efficient vehicles ? but Chevrolet says the inequity is now solved.
Yesterday Chevrolet announced Golden State Volts beginning ?early next year? will be equipped with a Low Emissions Package. This will qualify Volt drivers for access to the time-saving HOV lanes without needing at least one passenger to be legal, as has been the case and will be until updated versions arrive.
?HOV lane access is a coveted perk in California,? said Chris Perry, vice president of Global Chevrolet Marketing. ?The low-emissions Volt will be a strong draw for drivers who commute daily in the most-congested driving environments in the United States.?
Don?t let the CHiPs see you doing this just yet or it could cost you hundreds of dollars.
Owners of the 2012 California-spec Volt will need to apply for one of the 40,000 HOV stickers the state will make available to vehicles that qualify as a California Enhanced, Advanced Technology ? Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle.
And adding perk upon perk, a 2012 California Volt bought at one of the 140 California participating dealers will also be eligible for as much as $1,500 in California rebates through the state?s Clean Vehicle Rebate Project.
California?s 1,400 miles of HOV ? or carpool ??lanes were originally restricted to vehicles with two or more occupants ? thus the name, ?high occupancy.?
Because the state wanted to encourage low-emissions vehicles, it changed the rules to allow drivers of certain extremely efficient cars privileges only motorcycles formerly enjoyed. Allowing solo drivers in the HOV lanes was a carrot on a stick for those who must traverse the often-congested roadways inducing them to take the plunge on cars like the Prius.
To get the Volt to finally qualify, Chevrolet says the engine and catalytic converter in the 2012 California Volt will be modified slightly. Basically, a secondary air-injection pump will pipe ambient air into the exhaust stream to increase its ability to remove pollutants.
?The Volt may be the most-technologically advanced vehicle on the road today with a long list of valuable benefits from gas-free commuting and refined performance to connectivity,? Perry said. ?Future owners in California can now add HOV lane access to that list.?
Unfortunately the watchword is ?future? Volts. In case anyone in California thinks this is a Jim-dandy idea, and wants to inquire about retrofitting their present Volts to compliant status, we were told this is not possible.
Anticipating this question would be asked, GM Spokesman Rob Peterson told us the answer in advance. Obviously the engineering could be done, but updating a Volt is not doable, he said.
As of deadline, we are unsure if legal caveats in California would also prohibit older Volts from qualifying even if a talented MacGyver did manage to update a 2011 or 2012 Volt produced without the Low Emissions Package.
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Source: http://gm-volt.com/2011/11/17/2012-california-volts-will-be-hov-lane-legal/
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