SB 535 Summary (bill passed and signed by Governor):

White stickers- electric and CNG (Tesla, Nissan Leaf) already extended until 2015 by AB 1500

Yellow stickers- no new ones, but extended from Jan 1, 2011 to July 1, 2011 (6 more months to the 85,000 that have them)

New class of sticker for PLUG IN cars such as the PLUG IN PRIUS (maybe out in 2012 – goes 14 miles on electric , plug in overnight), and the 2013 Chevy Volt (the 2012 Chevy Volt does not meet California's enhanced advanced technology partial zero-emission vehicle (enhanced AT PZEV) standard, so the 2012 Volt cannot get a sticker). STARTS Jan 1, 2012, they will issue 40,000 stickers.

So if you depend on the carpool sticker, unless you get an electric car, you need to buy a Plug in Prius or other Plug in by Jan 1, 2012 (leaving 6 or more months of no carpool sticker, depending on when the PLUG IN Prius comes out…).

http://www.mercurynews.com/traffic/ci_15955344

Bill granting carpool stickers to plug-in hybrids signed into law

By Gary Richards

grichards@mercurynews.com

Posted: 08/31/2010 06:00:21 PM PDT

Aug 31:

· California legislators race through waning hours of session

Coming eventually to a diamond lane near you: 40,000 plug-in hybrids that will be eligible for carpool stickers starting in 2012.

A bill signed into law late Monday night by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, SB 535, also extends the current carpool perk for hybrids by six months, until July 1, 2011.

The governor had already signed AB 1500, which extended until Jan. 1, 2015, the current carpool privileges for owners of electric vehicles and cars running on compressed natural gas. Those owners can immediately apply for white stickers, and there is no limit to how many can be issued.

SB 535 was sponsored by General Motors, maker of the Chevy Volt, one of the vehicles expected to qualify. The bill had the support of the California Electric Transportation Coalition, the California Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition, Chrysler, PG&E, Tesla and Toyota.

"It is imperative that we find ways to limit our carbon footprint," said state Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, who authored the bill. "SB 535 will provide a great incentive for car manufacturers to develop higher emission standards and for individuals to purchase greener vehicles."

Not everyone was thrilled with the new law.

Alex Wykes, automotive writer at TheTruthAboutCars.com in Burlingame, said, "GM and Toyota are for-profit corporations drafting legislation for California to boost their own sales."

HybridCars.com and PluginCars.com, called SB 535 "the official warning shot to today's hybrid owners: Upgrade to a plug-in car if you want to stay in the HOV lane. Conventional hybrids such as the Prius are now mainstream vehicles. It's time to put the incentives on the next generation of cars that use even less petroleum, and in some case, none at all."

Familiar hybrids such as the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic and Ford Fusion run on both batteries and gasoline, with the Prius getting the best mileage, around 45 mpg. New plug-in hybrids are similar but contain even more batteries and can be recharged, boosting mileage into the 70 mpg range or higher.

Berman expects it will take two years for California to reach the 40,000 figure for carpool-lane stickers. The carpool perk for plug-ins starts Jan. 1, 2012, and expires Jan. 1, 2015.

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2010 Prius IGuide by Toyota -For example, I clicked on "Seats & Cargo area". A video plays showing how to work the Driver seat adjustment levers. Also saw how to get 3 golf bags in the cargo area.. (thanks Aileen) http://www.toyotaownersonline.com/iguides/prius_2010.html