Hybrid Cars to Get High-Occupancy Waiver - New York Times

ALBANY, Feb. 24 — Hybrid-power cars will be allowed to use high-occupancy-vehicle lanes on the Long Island Expressway starting on March 1, regardless of how few people are in the car, the Pataki administration said on Friday.
The policy, which applies only to the highest-mileage hybrids like the Toyota Prius and the hybrid version of the Honda Civic, brings to New York an incentive used by several other states to promote fuel-efficient vehicles. Virginia, for example, is one of the top markets for hybrid vehicles because it has allowed them for several years in its H.O.V. lanes. California, Arizona, Colorado, Florida and Georgia are among the states with similar laws.
In New York, the expressway is the only highway that has H.O.V. lanes, which are meant to encourage carpooling. For hybrid-car owners, it will certainly be a welcome policy, in view of the expressway's reputation as "the world's biggest parking lot."
In a statement, Gov. George E. Pataki said the new rule "will help create a stronger, cleaner New York."
"By encouraging the use of cleaner, more energy-efficient vehicles on our roadways and providing New Yorkers with an incentive to use them, we will reduce our dependence on imported energy, and help improve our environment," the statement said.
The proposal is part of a range of energy initiatives that were announced last month as part of Mr. Pataki's proposed budget, which includes tax breaks for hybrid vehicles and alternative fuels. Hybrids can also qualify for federal tax breaks.
But not all hybrids will get H.O.V.-lane access. Only those that get at least 45 miles per gallon in highway driving, as determined by the Environmental Protection Agency in its testing laboratories, will be permitted in the lanes. That will disqualify all the hybrid sport utility vehicles currently available, like the Ford Escape or Toyota's Lexus RX400h.
It will also disqualify pickup trucks made by General Motors that use mild forms of hybrid technology, as well as the hybrid version of the Honda Accord, a car that uses its advanced technology as much for speed as it does for saving gas — a prevailing trend in newer-model hybrids that has been irksome to environmental groups.
One reason for the restriction is to avoid problems that Virginia has had with hybrid vehicles overcrowding H.O.V. lanes. In Virginia, a larger number of hybrid models have access to the lanes, including the Ford Escape, which gets about 30 miles per gallon in highway driving, according to the environmental agency.
"Basically, if you put it any lower, they might overcrowd the H.O.V. lanes," said Peter Constantakes, a spokesman for Mr. Pataki, referring to the 45 mile-per-hour minimum requirement.
That number could be changed, however, because the agency is in the process of reformulating the way it calculates mileage estimates, which are particularly overstated for hybrid cars.
"If E.P.A. changes the criteria on miles per gallon, adjustments can be made to the program," Mr. Constantakes said.
Registered owners of hybrids that qualify can apply to the Department of Motor Vehicles for a "Clean Pass" sticker, which will allow them to use the 40 miles of H.O.V. lanes along both the east and westbound Long Island Expressway. The H.O.V. lanes are restricted on weekdays, from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
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