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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Nov 17th, 2011 (7:12 am)Did they say if the California emissions package would cost extra?
I guess they could charge another $1500 at no net loss with the state rebate figured in.
Nov 17th, 2011 (7:13 am)Well, the mystery of why the Volt did not qualify before is solved. I am surprised it took GM so long to come up with a solution. I imagine they came up with several and had to go through a repetitive process with CARB to get an acceptable one. A year ago we were speculating on gas vapors leaking from the gas tank, and the battery warranty not being 10 years. What happened to the warranty issue? Did CARB decide 8 years was enough?
+9
Nov 17th, 2011 (7:15 am)To meet PZEV Evaporative emissions must be zero. The range extender ICE tailpipe emissions must meet the super ultra low emission vehicle (SULEV) standard which is the absolute strictest emission standard on Earth for an ICE. A super-clean burning ICE that only operates 20% of the time will be a huge help for the air quality of a city like Los Angeles, California. Los Angeles is my hometown.
Los Angeles is a basin larger than Rhode Island surrounded by mountains on all sides. Because of the interaction of the Pacific ocean and the mountains there is an atmospheric phenomenon known as the inversion layer. The inversion layer traps all the pollution in the LA basin. Long before the first steam engine or automobile was invented Native Americans called present day Los Angeles the Valley of Smoke because the inversion layer also traps dust. I’m not making this up. 13 million people live in the Los Angeles area. That’s more than a third of the population of California. Los Angeles has 800 miles of freeways. It has the worst air pollution of any city in the United States. This is why California Air Resources Board (CARB) has the strictest emissions regulations in the world. The Volt meets this very strict emission standard. Much, much cleaner air. Also, HOV access in Los Angeles is a HUGE bonus because traffic in Los Angeles is absolutely insane. Chalk up another win for the Chevrolet Volt.
+3
Nov 17th, 2011 (8:13 am)A Volt Hold Mode would be good for a driver who lives outside the basin and could drive-in through the basin on CD-mode. An example would be someone living in Thousand Palms, CA driving to Anaheim over 91. Start on the highway using “highway hold mode” and keep the charge near full SOC. Once they start to enter the basin (Corona?), switch from CS-mode (Hold mode) to CD-mode to drive in the basin on CD-mode. The Hold Mode would be best as a pulse/glide (high efficiency high rpm type of mode as we’ve discussed). Then, charge at work and return home in reverse order – CD-mode out of the basin and then highway hold mode to destination.
+1
Nov 17th, 2011 (9:14 am)I started getting a feeling that this machine is becoming more complex than it needs to be.
Is there no other way to burn better than adding a secondary air-injection pump.The approach sounded to me like “we cannot reduce emissions by burning clean , so we increased the exhaust gas volume by mixing more air and so percentage of emissions will be less”.
Correct me if i am wrong
More components , less reliability, more costs.
Nov 17th, 2011 (9:16 am)What about Georgia? From what I understand we still have this issue. What’s the deal here?
+2
Nov 17th, 2011 (9:57 am)It is certainly good to have more vehicles that would qualify to use the HOV lane but; it would be even better to have more car pools/van pools organized and used. My wife joined a van pool and can save 200 miles on our car a week! The pool works very well, except those 7 passenger vans aren’t meant for 7 adults JMO. Van pools would do much more to help congestion as well.
-1
Nov 17th, 2011 (10:32 am)Bonaire,
Sounds like what mountain mode essentially already is.
+1
Nov 17th, 2011 (10:32 am)I read somewhere a while back, that GM played a big part in eliminating electric mass transit in California sometime back in the early 20th century in favor of building bus’s, cars and trucks. Los Angeles would have really benefited from having a complete electric mass transit system already in place. I really liked the mass transit in Boston and used it a lot when we went to a wedding last July. Lately GM is starting to redeem itself by bringing the Volt, e-assist and other efficiency methods to market. Efficient vehicles are great but every large city needs to have a convenient clean mass transit system JMO.
+4
Nov 17th, 2011 (10:34 am)How ’bout a little comedic relief for all those Californians who already own either a 2011 or 2012 Volt lacking HOV capability? There’s a lot quicker and much cheaper way to go than trading your car for an HOV-qualified Volt next year — “passenger Paul”…
“Paul” is a featherweight, wears YOUR choice of clothes & he won’t talk you to death, insist on stopping for a beer and a burger or be fussy about riding in back!
Nov 17th, 2011 (10:37 am)From what I’ve seen recently from an emissions viewpoint, motorcycles never should have qualified for the HOV lane. They use less gas, but burn much dirtier than cars. The 2011 Volt and most other cars already beat the best motorcycle emissions.
+3
Nov 17th, 2011 (10:54 am)I saw Revenge Of The Electric Car on Tuesday night, and it was fantastic! I encourage everyone to go see it in person, on the big screen. I believe tonight is the last night to go see it in Seattle, it’s showing at the Varsity Theater in the University District. One curious observation: All three of the big players in the movie: Bob Lutz, Charles Ghosn and Elon Musk were shown being driven to big meetings re: electric cars in huge black SUVs – Lutz in an Escalade, Ghosn in an Armada and Musk in a large black Lincoln Navigator. Doesn’t that kind of typify the big contradiction we have in the auto industry re: change? You know, like Toyota being called the green car champion for Prius and hybrids, yet later coming out with a Tundra and Sequoia…
HOV shenanigans: Nasaman – oh man! It’s 7:40am here on the Left Coast and I’m a bit fuzzy w/o my coffee but…wondering WHERE you got that photo…and how many folks’ jaws will drop before they realize what you’re saying with that pic! To me, the funny part is that you didn’t add an explanation!!!! LOL!——–(Edit – Nasaman just added his explanation – Phew!, thanks for Jeff’s generous edit window!!! ) Once I walked past a compact truck in a parking lot, baby seat with realistic doll in place…it actually took me a few moments to figure out what that was about. Funnier still was a few years back on Seattle local news where a live reporter happened to be at the scene of a freeway traffic accident, she stuck a mic in the face of a soccer mom who happened to get mixed up in the wreck. She had a large dummy in the passenger seat, and the reporter naively asked: “By the way, why do you have a dummy in your passenger seat?”…The lady looked seriously miffed, and didn’t want to comment!!! LOL. Just think – Before that day, she thought she was p-r-e-t-t-y darned clever! Ha ha!
VOLT, IT’S MORE FREEDOM THAN ELECTRIC! ,
James
+2
Nov 17th, 2011 (11:02 am)Steve,
That’s true, but keep in mind that there were other reasons for allowing motorcycles into HOV lanes. Among them are:
1) Many motorcycles can only accommodate one person;
2) Motorcycles are much smaller and lighter than cars so they do less (minimal) road damage;
3) It’s safer for motorcyclists to keep them moving that stuck in stop and go traffic.
As you can probably guess, I’m a motorcycle commuter. I’m also the proud owner of a 2012 Volt, which I delayed purchasing from the 2011 model because I read previous reports that GM was going to build the 2012 Volt to be compliant with CA HOV requirements and tax credit eligibility. I guess the jokes on me that it’s only the later 2012 Volts that will qualify and not my 2012 Volt.
+1
Nov 17th, 2011 (11:04 am)Er….Nasa?….Um, I think “Passenger Paul’s” mouth may not be made for shouting “OMG-This traffic is shocking!”
LOL!!!
RECHARGE! ,
James
+2
Nov 17th, 2011 (11:08 am)“Passenger Paul” may appeal to some certain group of Californians, rather than others….ahem….If you catch what I mean!
LOL!!!!…. Man, Nasa…I’m fallin’ off my chair!
RECHARGE! ,
James
+2
Nov 17th, 2011 (11:16 am)Glad you enjoyed “Paul”. Actually, if you look closely you’ll see that he’s/it’s a costume designed to make the wearer look like a blow-up doll.* It’s a bit more modest than what ‘may appeal to some…’
Hey Kent, maybe “passenger Paul” is just who need as a freeway companion —LAPD & the Highway Patrol will no doubt be informed that Chevy Volts are legit in HOV lanes anyway — so who knows, you might be able to get away with a “passenger Paul” ruse! It’s easier for a patrolman to look for 2 or more passengers than for an HOV sticker, right?
*My “Paul” is available for only $29.99 at http://www.buycostumes.com/Inflatable-Doll-Male-Adult-Costume/69553/ProductDetail.aspx
+1
Nov 17th, 2011 (11:22 am)Will the 2012 Volt’s new California Low Emissions Package be available as an order option for customers living in States outside of California? A customer in another part of the country might buy a 2012 Volt and later wish to take a vacation drive, or move, to California.
Does an outstate 2012 Volt customer with outstate license plates need to have the special California “HOV sticker” to drive in the HOV lanes if they buy a 2012 Volt already equipped with the low emissions package?
Nov 17th, 2011 (11:33 am)Sounds like I will have to sell the 2011 Volt outside California to gain maximum value.
If the Tesla Model S has better vision to see pedestrians on the left side of the vehicle, I will consider selling the Volt eventually. The large window pillar is a problem that has created a need to move ones head around to see a pedestrian behind the pillar. The “move your head” solution has become a necessity to avoid getting another $300 ticket for entering a crosswalk while a pedestrian is hidden behind the pillar.
+2
Nov 17th, 2011 (11:43 am)Faithful “early adopters” get rewarded again.
Earlier on when the Prii were still eligible for the HOV lanes the Kelly Blue book added $4500 to the used car value of an LA area Prius with an HOV sticker.
Be careful with “passenger Paul”. We had a customer who commuted from Costa Mesa to Westwood on the dreaded 405. His carpool partner went on vacation and his commute instantly went from 1 hour to 2 1/2 hours. He borrowed his son’s life sized Bart Simpson doll and disguised it with a hat and dark glasses. He even added a string to it so he could make it move around once in awhile. 1 week in the CHP pulled him over and gave him a $378 ticket, which has gone up to over $400 now. The CHP is hip to the “passenger Paul” scam. Of course you might think that it was worth the $400 if you got away with it long enough. After the first time I bet they have your plate in the system though, LOL.
B1567
Nov 17th, 2011 (11:49 am)I predict this will be the best advertising move GM could have ever done for the Volt here in California. And it’s free.
Anybody stuck in the slow moving mass of traffic is sure to notice the Volt as it scoots on by, and it won’t be long before they’ll be considering how to join the growing line of Volts flying on by.
+1
Nov 17th, 2011 (11:51 am)Ha ha ha…but seriously, I would think people looking to play the HOV deception game have better options. I saw a home security magazine with a “Safety Sam” – full sized human replica complete with baseball cap! You’re supposed to put this guy in the window or something to make potential intruders think someone’s home. He was fully dressed, btw…lol…But I’m sure there have been folks who bought Sam to put in the passenger seat so they could use the HOV…Not to give any of you any idears…. I think it was $350 or so, pretty steep. I’ve been told State Patrolmen are trained to look for such things, so maybe an animatronic-robotic fake passenger would suffice!
In Washington, we get these computerized tickets in the mail where some “concerned citizen”, ( really some pissed-off guy who thinks you’re cheating by using the HOV and speeding by him )calls your license number in to a HOV offense tip line. I’ve gotten two of these, each time because my X-tra cab truck has factory darkened windows in the rear. I have to call a 1-800 # and explain I had two kids in kid seats behind me and my truck’s windows cannot be modified. It becomes somewhat of a drag.
Toyota and one of the major tire companies spent a lot of time and money ( two years, I believe ) on a lane of I-5 in San Diego with an imbedded fiber optic strip that slowed cars to a mandated 40mph speed for rush hour congested zones. Cars had to be equipped with a sensor for the specified lane – but if you did this, the theory was that lane would move along at a consistent rate and you would zip by the suckers sitting in their cars in gridlock. It sounds like an amazing solution to what we have in Seattle-the 2nd worst commute-traffic gridlock in the USA according to surveys. Many top-level cars today can be had with laser cruise control, and some like Volvo and Mercedes are implementing automatic low speed crash prevent intervention. We’re going to need to implement automatic spacing and speed control IMHO if we wish to continue to be able to move about through our cities as congestion will not diminish, just get worse.
I don’t know what became of Toyota’s efforts in San Diego, but the whole project just seems to have fallen off the face of the
earth.
RECHARGE! ,
James
+2
Nov 17th, 2011 (11:52 am)Oh, rats! Now I get to deal with unhappy current owners that can’t upgrade as well as having a tougher time selling the units already here. New customers will probably prefer to just ‘order’ the CA Approved version… Now would be a good time for Chevy to throw a few “Rebate Bucks” our way.
+1
Nov 17th, 2011 (11:56 am)#17
Out of state plates do not qualify, and you must have the sticker to drive alone in the HOV lane.
As I read it, there are only 40K stickers available to be divided among all manufacturer’s cars on a first come first served basis. That’s how it worked with the earlier hybrid yellow stickers. So I’m sure that the PIP will qualify.
I wonder if these stickers will sunset the way the yellow hybrid ones did? The local Prius owners are in a snit since their cars are no longer solo HOV lane legal. A lot of people in my neighborhood who could easily be driving Benzes, or anything else they wanted, bought Prii for the yellow stickers. I bet that plenty of them will be lining up to get the PIP. or maybe the Volt if the Gods smile.
So 2 cautions. If you want an HOV lane sticker for your eligible Volt, get with it PDQ. And don’t be too shocked if the eligibility goes away after 4 or 5 years the way it did for the Prius.
+4
Nov 17th, 2011 (12:01 pm)BTW, LA Times columnist Steve Lopez wrote a couple of years ago that he was late for a very important meeting downtown so he went by the Home Depot on the way and hired a day laborer off the corner for the day to ride with him. I dunno what he paid the guy, but at least they can’t give you a $400 ticket, LOL.
+1
Nov 17th, 2011 (12:09 pm)Just more California stupidity.
The Volt is already getting much better MPG than any car in that lane but it’s not qualified…
just more government stupidity.
Nov 17th, 2011 (12:19 pm)jim1961,
So … do they still burn their garbage on Huntington beach at night?
When I was in CA my wife took me to the beach right in LA where they compete to build the biggest bon fires at night… pick ups bring in furniture .. logs … etc and build big bon fires up and down the beach… then they wake up and blame the smoke on the cars….
CA is the land of fruits and nuts for sure.
Nov 17th, 2011 (12:46 pm)come to Puerto Rico then.
Our fruit is larger and our nuts are fewer.
Raymond
Nov 17th, 2011 (12:48 pm)+3
Nov 17th, 2011 (12:50 pm)My apologies if my posts #10 or #16 about “passenger Paul” offended anyone here. I had hoped my intro on “comedic relief” & the smiley faces would result in just the opposite! It was all just for fun!
/But just in case, if anyone is thinking of trying such a stunt ….PLEASE DON’T!!!
+2
Nov 17th, 2011 (1:02 pm)nasaman,
(Less fine is the path where James took you.) 
The comic relief is fine.
Thanks for all your contributions to the site, Nasaman.
+4
Nov 17th, 2011 (1:03 pm)…or 2.5 years
The sticker is only valid thru December 31st, 2014. Not saying it won’t be extended…I’m just saying.
+1
Nov 17th, 2011 (1:08 pm)One way to simplify the HOV program would be to simply only allowing vehicles with more than 1 occupant to use the lane. This would encourage carpooling more and eventually reduce the congestion which is the primary goal of this High Occupancy Vehicle program anyway. Reward the people who are willing to alleviate the problem the most. Yes I know people will say “not enough people are using the lane, so why not add a few SULEV vehicles as well”. JMO I think reducing the total number of vehicles are the goal and more people will eventually double & triple-up when they realize the advantages in saving time and gas money.
+2
Nov 17th, 2011 (1:36 pm)I draw cartoons for a living… When I was a wee lad and drew caricatures of my classmates. I learned that my talents got a lot of laughs from a lot of people; everyone BUT the guy who’se picture was circulating about the school – yet THAT SAME GUY howled and laughed the loudest when it was another classmate’s cartoon. Mind you, the pictures were NOT rude or crude, just if the guy/girl had a particular unique feature, a sharp jaw, a Roman nose, etc… it’s how you know it’s that person. Today, the world’s most famous caricature artists make millions. Also – I worked at the Seattle Times newspaper, and one day I read the front page and scientists had finally concluded due to DNA analysis that we today are not related to Neanderthal. I drew a silly gag panel cartoon of a Neanderthal reading the newspaper seated in his LaZboy recliner in front of the TV, telling his Neanderthal wife talking on the phone – “hey it says here we’re not related to humans!” . I put it up on my cubicle near my computer, and next day I was called into the supervisor’s office. I was written up, told “it will permanently be put on my record”, that someone was offended enough by my cartoon to register a formal complaint! While at first I thought it funny, I mean, who in my office feels they deeply resemble a Neanderthal?! Or are they an amateur paleontologist who has deep-seated feelings about them? Why was this taken so seriously, and why couldn’t that person just tell me themselves? Anyway, I nearly quit over it.
My point is humor usually pokes fun at someone – and I learned to have a thicker skin, because to make someone laugh, you nearly almost always need to poke fun at someone/something else. Humor being subjective, someone is always gonna be offended. Period. Jay Leno must get massive hate mail.
Sorry Michael, if you were offended – my intent was to riff off of Nasa’s humor. I think my observations were quite obvious.
Re: Volt. My heart lept as a few nights back I saw my second Volt in the wild. It was in my neighborhood parked under a light, glowing pearl white. I pulled my 2nd gen Prius next to it to gauge the difference in length and height, turns out they’re nearly identical – my Prius having a lot less overhang in the front, about the same in the rear. My Prius’ rear spoiler is about 1 inch higher than Volt’s, other than that – they are nearly the same. The Volt owner came up and we had a nice conversation. She is a great person and thinks her Volt was the first purchased in Western Washington. The main things I learned from our conversation were: The local dealer price-gouged ( I turned him in to the Volt Advisory ), asking $57,000 on Cars.com for this car, but her husband walked away with it for $45k and some change! Why do these people do this?! I also learned that Volt meetups and forums can be essential, as this owner didn’t really know how to use L or Sport-Mountain mode and it seems this dealer did no training on how to use the car!
RECHARGE! ,
James
Nov 17th, 2011 (1:51 pm)I use HOV when traveling to San Diego to see family. And on trips to Vegas and Laughlin. My vacation driving is with wife and son. I could steer a Hummer and be HOV eligible as long as I carry passengers.
Some people who use the HOV lane lean toward hypermiling. In other words they drive slow. I normally hop off the HOV lane to gain time using the fast lane of traffic.
The HOV lane was initially painted off (with warnings of fines) because MORE carpooling was needed to keep the general flow of traffic moving. This was done before daily driver freeway ready EV were available for purchase by the public. HOV (or not) for Hummers, SUV, and V8′s? Quiet operation and clean running are the key issues for freeway driving. I would like to see the freeways filled with Volts and other EV.
No Plug, No sale!
+1
Nov 17th, 2011 (1:52 pm)No, I was not offended. It’s just that was the path that may have offended anyone who was. Have a good day James. We’re OK.
Nov 17th, 2011 (1:55 pm)#32
Good point. +1
This is actually a very contentious issue here in SoCal where some of the HOV lanes have gotten so busy that they are just as backed up as the regular lanes at the peaks. There is also an experiment going forward with “congestion pricing”, whereas you can have a transponder in your car and pay for the privilege of going solo in the HOV lane. Aka the “Lexus Lane”. This is equally controversial for the same reason. And the prices are astounding. Something like $8 for about 10 miles on the 110 at the highest peak.
+1
Nov 17th, 2011 (1:55 pm)nasaman,
Thanks Nasaman, but I think I’ll pass on your offer. I think this will just give my wife another reason to talk to her lawyer.
Nov 17th, 2011 (2:01 pm)#31
Yeah right. +1
Some people take the trouble to look it up, and some just shoot from the lip, LOL. Thanks.
Lots of people (read Prius owners, hahaha) are screaming to extend the original “yellow sticker” program, but with zero response so far. Mainly for the reasons mentioned in #36. It was a measure to incentivize “early adopters” of hybrid technology, and their time is past, LOL.
Actually, my commute is mostly against the traffic and/or on freeways with no HOV lane, so I’m not really too jealous. Somebody who needs it more can have my sticker for the 2.5 years.
Nov 17th, 2011 (2:06 pm)CorvetteGuy,
It sounds like this new “package” is an option. Can you confirm? Do you know the cost of this new “package”?
Nov 17th, 2011 (2:14 pm)When will the “new” 2012 Volts be available to the public? When can we Californians start applying for these stickers?
+2
Nov 17th, 2011 (2:34 pm)James,
“someone was offended enough by my cartoon to register a formal complaint!”
The GEICO caveman.
Nov 17th, 2011 (4:10 pm)Well, that’s one way to fix California’s budget deficit…
Nov 17th, 2011 (4:19 pm)#43
Well I dunno, it’s pretty big. I’m not sure that there are enough Lexus drivers to carry the weight, LOL. Every little bit helps though. Between that and busting people for having dummies in the shotgun seat in the HOV lanes maybe there’s hope yet.
+2
Nov 17th, 2011 (5:50 pm)I hope Chevy sells that package outside of California. Offering it as an option can’t hurt…
Nov 17th, 2011 (7:30 pm)I hope they considered that when the Volt engine is running, it is producing energy to travel farther than the miles the vehicle travels while the engine is running. Or if it isn’t, maybe this is reason enough for hold mode. Automatic hold mode, if you will.
Nov 17th, 2011 (8:07 pm)Great idea, areas like Corona and the Inland Empire can get the benefit of 100% of the pollutants from the morning commute. And suffer when the on shore flows push the days smog produced in the “Basin” inland throughout the afternoon and evening.
Nov 17th, 2011 (8:52 pm)Exactly! L
L !!!
RECHARGE! ,
James
Nov 21st, 2011 (1:30 pm)Great observation, yes GM did along with Firestone, buy out and eliminate electric rail transit in Los Angeles and other cities, including the midwest, in favor of fueled buses running on rubber. Its really sad because you could get from Riverside to the beach and back in a day 100% on electricity (I will caveat that by saying electricity wasn’t very clean back then, but probably cleaner than cars of the same era)
Nov 21st, 2011 (1:45 pm)Nice observation Jeff. As previously stated, LA is a basin and any pollutants wherever they are let go will affect the whole basin. Not just where its let go. So, 100% electric is best, EREV is better, eh hybrid is good…
Nov 23rd, 2011 (10:42 am)What about Virginia? The Wash DC area of Virginia where I live is suppose to be the most congested area in the Country. The Prius I had qualified for HOV in Virginia. The Volt does not. Any chance GM will make the HOV qualified Volts available in Virginia?
Jim K.