Hybrid Owners You took Over HOV now out web site?

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Originally posted by TWO
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Originally posted by NoSUV
TWO,

I think Bob is going to stop deleting my posts, so I'll try this again. The law to allow hybrids was NOT based on fuel economy, but emissions, which is why diesel doesn't fit. If you read the literature, hybrids similar to the Prius pollute only 20% (a factor of 5x) of similarly sized vehicles, are 15x less polluting than conventional SUVs, and 45x less polluting than Hummers.

At best, you need to be HOV-5 to keep up.

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I don't follow your math, but one of the laws written years ago about the HOV lanes, was allowing cars that did not use gasoline as a fuel. Natural gas, propane, full electric (and ultimately hydrogen?) fall in that category. The way I interperted it was, the lawmakers allowed the hybrids into the HOV lanes probably to help promote alternatively powered cars (and us Americans hate diesel). Then of course lobbyists come into play, and now the lanes are flooded with SOV hybrids.

Like I said in my previous post, I think hybrids are a first step and a great idea, but the HOV lanes have definitely become slower over the last few years. I notice a lot of SOV hybrids around me just about everytime I'm in the HOV lanes. Why can't they pickup riders too? (in their defense, I've noticed about three per week, HOV-3 hybrids - WAY TO GO PEOPLE!

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Originally posted by TWO
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Originally posted by NoSUV
[br]TWO:
Some probable misconceptions. Hybrids were allowed because of partial battery usage for prime mover. Conventional vehicles, including diesel, don't do that. The goal was NOT for gas reduction, although that was a bi-product, but emissions reduction. This was for all non-motorcycle exemptions to the carpool requirement to use the express lanes during peak commuting hours. (HOV is a misnomer, and the use of that term has given rise to HOT - a toll for 7/24. Currently, HOV is only for a minority period of the day. Because people use HOV lanes, it made it simple for the legislature to replace HOV with HOT.)

The claim that the lanes are "flooded" with hybrids is also a misconception based mostly on your frame of reference. You don't like hybrids in the express lanes, so you see hybrids when you can't go 80 mph. Let's pretend that hybrids were 20% of the traffic. Wouldn't it stand to reason that 20% of the accidents in the express lanes were also hybrid vehicles? Yet that's clearly not the case. Think of all of the express lane accidents and estimate the ratio of conventional vehicles to hybrids.

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NoSUV, I understand that when I'm travelling in the HOV lanes, the cars around me are only a 'snapshot' of the ratio of hybrids vs. HOV vs. law enforcement vs. motorcycles. Most of the time I'm in view of equal amounts of SOV hybrids and HOV cars.

I'm not sure of the original intent of the 'express' lanes that started on I-395. I heard that they were once for 'fuel conservation', then emissions reduction, and traffic reduction (not sure of the order). Years ago when I was able to find the law, it specifically said non-gasoline fueled vehicles were allowed in addition to HOV cars. Whatever the reason was, if you're so concerned about hybrids getting better mile per emissions than any other HOV loaded car, then why don't you pickup some riders and make it that much better? That's the part I don't understand - the hybrid cars can just as easily pickup riders, so why don't they? Because it would slow down your commute? That's what I thought. You're using the hybrid to cut down your commute time by not having to pickup riders. [:(]

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Originally posted by amazedbythis
[br]As I'm reading through this, I wonder how many of you HOV people would actually pick up slugs if you were able to use the HOV lanes with just one occupant?? I've read all this ranting and raving about hybrids and how selfish they are, but aren't most HOVers only picking up slugs to use the express lanes???

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