Major Change Expected To Increase Traffic On CA Freeways This Month: What To Know

Electric car drivers in California have but a few more weeks to enjoy sailing through the HOV lane without passengers. Starting Oct. 1, even with a yellow decal on the car, electric vehicle drivers will no longer be able to use the carpool lane without passengers. Like every other driver, they risk being pulled over and hit with a $490 fine for going solo in a diamond lane.

The state’s Clean Air Vehicle decal program, which has allowed clean-air vehicle drivers to go solo through HOV lanes since 2000, is ending Sept. 30 after Republicans in Congress voted not to renew it. Discounts for bridges and express lanes currently offered to electric vehicles will also end Sept. 30.

The popular program began in 1999, when the federal government allowed states to decide whether electric and qualifying clean-air vehicles could pass through HOV lanes with only one occupant. California was the first state to sign on. In 2015, President Obama extended the program until Sept. 30, 2025.

In 2024, large bipartisan majorities passed a bill to extend the decal program until 2027, and Gov. Newsom signed it into law. But because it is a federal program, California does not have the right to continue the program without congressional approval.

“Thanks to the federal government’s failure to act, this successful program is coming to an end. Despite the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to undermine progress, California remains committed to moving forward with the global market toward a zero-emission future," Liane Randolph, chair of the California Air Resources Board, said in a statement to KTVU.

Not renewing the decal program is one of several steps recently taken in Washington to roll back environmental regulations in California. In June, President Trump signed a resolution blocking California’s ban on the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. The One Big Beautiful Bill also ends the $7,500 tax credit for eligible zero-emissions vehicles after Sept. 30.

The state has fought back with lawsuits and an executive order from Gov. Newsom directing state agencies to recommend ways to expand the use of zero-emission vehicles in the state.

So What Now?

In California, 25.3 percent of new vehicles sold in 2024 were electric, according to the California Energy Commission. In Marin County, 40.1% of cars sold were electric, and in Santa Clara County, it was 43.8% of new vehicles. Numbers around the Bay Area and the Southland are in the same ballpark.

This move is expected to result in noticeably more cars in the regular lanes, worsening traffic. Drivers who want to continue to use HOV lanes should begin arranging for carpools, or take part in programs like the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s 511 program, which allow multiple ways to car or vanpool.

Drivers do not need to take off their yellow decals after Oct. 1, or order different FasTrak tags.

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