[greenclub] Threat to Teslas in California Carpool Lane - CA Legislator Bill

[Cox, Z. Nagin (397B)]

Earl and I just became aware of this. wanted to get this out quickly since the vote is soon

here is the info in case you decide to call your rep

 

 

From: Earl Cox [mailto:ear...@ieee.org]
Subject: Threat to Teslas in California Carpool Lane - immediate action required!

 

There’s a bill up for vote in the CA Legislature that threatens to kill EV access to HOV (Carpool) lanes in California.

AB 1964 would:

- extend green sticker (Plug-In Hybrid) status in the carpool lanes until 2021.

- kill white sticker (Battery EVs) status in the carpool lanes in 2019.

- place income restrictions on carpool sticker applicants.

 

I don’t know who sponsored this but it smells like an attack on Tesla by the legacy ICE auto companies or their shills.

 

If you want to have or keep carpool access, you must immediately contact your California legislator and tell him/her to vote against this bill.

 

source:  https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB1964

 

Nagin

 

Z. Nagin Cox

ARRM Mission System System Engineer

Tactical Mission Lead : Curiosity Rover Flight Team (Mars Science Laboratory)

MOXIE System Engineering Team

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, M/S 264-623, Pasadena, CA 91109

Office: 264-622L; Mobile: 818-653-5353

 

[Lux, Jim (337C)]

Or it’s a misunderstanding of the function of HOV lanes – which is to reduce emissions.

James Lux, P.E.

Task Manager, DHFR Space Testbed

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

4800 Oak Grove Drive, MS 161-213

Pasadena CA 91109

+1(818)354-2075

+1(818)395-2714 (cell)

 

[Villalpando, Carlos Y (349C)]

On 8/24/16, 08:07, "Cox, Z. Nagin (397B)" <na...@jpl.nasa.gov> wrote:

> - extend green sticker (Plug-In Hybrid) status in the carpool lanes until 2021.

Not quite. The 2018 to 2021 time period is a transitional period. Stickers issued for PHEVs after Jan 1 2019 are unlimited, and good for 4 years. As long as the number of PHEVs sold don't hit more than 9.2% of the market for 2 years in a row. As soon as that happens, the stickers are done.

--Carlos V.

[Wagstaff, Kiri L (398J)]

I read through the bill. I'm not sure it's correct to characterize it as "killing" white (ZEV) stickers in 2019. That is the current federally imposed limit. It gets periodically extended. This bill doesn't change it for CA (it's already 2019, and it would remain 2019).

Also, the bill doesn't strictly place income restrictions on carpool sticker applicants. It specifies an income limit ($125k) above which you cannot get BOTH the Clean Vehicle Rebate (when you purchase the car) AND a carpool sticker. Presumably you can choose which one. (This proposal does seem weirdly at odds with the goal of reducing emissions across the board...)

Drivers haven't been able to get a green (plug-in hybrid, PZEV) sticker at all, since the limit of 85,000 was reached in December 2015.

http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/carpool/carpool.htm

This bill removes that cap and instead makes it sensitive to the market capitalization of the vehicle "category" (stickers issued until that category achieves 9.2% of the new car market for 2 years running). According to Wikipedia, all EVs have only 0.66% of the new car market, so there's a lot of room for growth.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plug-in_electric_vehicles_in_the_United_States

Overall, this doesn't read like an attack on Tesla (or EVs) to me. If I were reading between the lines I would guess the goal is to reduce the amount of Clean Vehicle Rebate payments being given out. The primary change in sticker issuance affects PZEVs, not ZEVs, and it actually re-starts their issuance which is currently on hold.

Kiri

Kiri

--
----- Kiri Wagstaff, Ph.D. ------ kiri.w...@jpl.nasa.gov -----
Principal Researcher at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Machine Learning and Instrument Autonomy: http://ml.jpl.nasa.gov/
------------------------------------------------------------------

[Villalpando, Carlos Y (349C)]

Yes, you're right that it allows the "white stickers" to sunset, but if the goal is to reduce emissions, why remove the PHEV limits and extend their participation when they still emit, and kill BEV/CNG/FC participation when they don't emit? The current bill is essentially removing the issuance limitations in perpetuity as long as PHEVs don't reach 9.2% of market share.

If you read the legislative analysis links, the stated reason was "the carpool lanes are degraded, and federal law says we can do this", even though the stated HOV lane participation rate for green and white stickers is "very low". Some of the analyses even state "this will only increase the participation rate".

And the "rolling 4 years" bit sounds like "Wanna keep using the carpool lanes? Buy a new car every 4 years."

--Carlos V.

[Villalpando, Carlos Y (349C)]

On 8/24/16, 11:12, "Villalpando, Carlos Y (349C)" <Carlos.Y.V...@jpl.nasa.gov> wrote:

> And the "rolling 4 years" bit sounds like "Wanna keep using the carpool lanes? Buy a new car every 4 years."

Oh, if you read through the analyses, you'll see the lobby group that brought the bill forward:

"The Auto Alliance"

http://www.autoalliance.org/about-the-alliance/overview?gclid=Cj0KEQjwi_W9BRD_3uio_Jz-p8UBEiQANU80vgp0ZIUiYGFLR4h35rAYP6NGp5B85WKa7qM7afT4x1EaAmQL8P8HAQ

" The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers is an association of 12 vehicle manufacturers including BMW Group, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Ford Motor Company, General Motors Company, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz USA, Mitsubishi Motors, Porsche, Toyota, Volkswagen Group of America and Volvo Car USA."

--Carlos V.

[Denman, James R (353C)]

I also read thorough the bill. I found it interesting that the only use of
łZEV˛ was for PZEV and TZEV. The bill stands mute on ZEV AKA łWhite
Stickers˛, meaning that the 2019 date stays in place.

What is interesting is in the Senate Floor Analysis dated 8/18/16 the
provision for a new łGreen Sticker˛ with a different design and a new 2021
expiration would be created for PZEV and TZEV, but not ZEV. This wasnąt
obvious in the text of the bill.

So one could view this as an indirect attack on BEVąs like the Tesla and
the Spark EV that I drive.

The supporters are primarily Big Auto and their Allies, the opposition is
Plug In America.

The Support of the bill:
Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (source)
California Electric Transportation Coalition
California Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition
ChargePoint
Clean Energy
Silicon Valley Leadership Group





The Opposition:

Plug In America

JD
James R. (Jim) Denman
Materials Engineering, Test & Evaluation
James.R...@jpl.nasa.gov
Office (818) 354-3383
Cell (626) 240-8238





On 8/24/16, 10:50 AM, "Wagstaff, Kiri L (398J)"

>> Or itąs a misunderstanding of the function of HOV lanes ­ which is to

>>reduce emissions.
>>
>> James Lux, P.E.
>> Task Manager, DHFR Space Testbed
>> Jet Propulsion Laboratory
>> 4800 Oak Grove Drive, MS 161-213
>> Pasadena CA 91109
>> +1(818)354-2075
>> +1(818)395-2714 (cell)
>>
>>
>> From: "Cox, Z. Nagin (397B)" <na...@jpl.nasa.gov>
>> Date: Wednesday, August 24, 2016 at 8:07 AM
>> To: "Klemm, Roger W (348E)" <roger....@jpl.nasa.gov>, greenclub
>><gree...@jpl.nasa.gov>, "evgroup.evcharger"
>><evgroup....@jpl.nasa.gov>
>> Cc: "Cox, Z. Nagin (397B)" <na...@jpl.nasa.gov>
>> Subject: Threat to Teslas in California Carpool Lane - CA Legislator
>>Bill
>>
>> Earl and I just became aware of this. wanted to get this out quickly
>>since the vote is soon
>> here is the info in case you decide to call your rep
>>
>>
>> From: Earl Cox [mailto:ear...@ieee.org]
>> Subject: Threat to Teslas in California Carpool Lane - immediate action
>>required!
>>

>> Thereąs a bill up for vote in the CA Legislature that threatens to kill

>>EV access to HOV (Carpool) lanes in California.
>> AB 1964 would:
>> - extend green sticker (Plug-In Hybrid) status in the carpool lanes
>>until 2021.
>> - kill white sticker (Battery EVs) status in the carpool lanes in 2019.
>> - place income restrictions on carpool sticker applicants.
>>

>> I donąt know who sponsored this but it smells like an attack on Tesla

[Robert J. Haw]

Here's an example of the kind of bill needed that'll be friendly to BEVs
and grow their numbers.

https://thinkprogress.org/california-legislators-carbon-fee-and-dividend-88735da0a8f2#.bufn90dtz

Rob

> I also read thorough the bill. I found it interesting that the only use of

> ³ZEV² was for PZEV and TZEV. The bill stands mute on ZEV AKA ³White

> Stickers², meaning that the 2019 date stays in place.
>
> What is interesting is in the Senate Floor Analysis dated 8/18/16 the

> provision for a new ³Green Sticker² with a different design and a new 2021
> expiration would be created for PZEV and TZEV, but not ZEV. This wasn¹t

> obvious in the text of the bill.
>

> So one could view this as an indirect attack on BEV¹s like the Tesla and

>>> Or it¹s a misunderstanding of the function of HOV lanes ­ which is to

>>> reduce emissions.
>>>
>>> James Lux, P.E.
>>> Task Manager, DHFR Space Testbed
>>> Jet Propulsion Laboratory
>>> 4800 Oak Grove Drive, MS 161-213
>>> Pasadena CA 91109
>>> +1(818)354-2075
>>> +1(818)395-2714 (cell)
>>>
>>>
>>> From: "Cox, Z. Nagin (397B)" <na...@jpl.nasa.gov>
>>> Date: Wednesday, August 24, 2016 at 8:07 AM
>>> To: "Klemm, Roger W (348E)" <roger....@jpl.nasa.gov>, greenclub
>>> <gree...@jpl.nasa.gov>, "evgroup.evcharger"
>>> <evgroup....@jpl.nasa.gov>
>>> Cc: "Cox, Z. Nagin (397B)" <na...@jpl.nasa.gov>
>>> Subject: Threat to Teslas in California Carpool Lane - CA Legislator
>>> Bill
>>>
>>> Earl and I just became aware of this. wanted to get this out quickly
>>> since the vote is soon
>>> here is the info in case you decide to call your rep
>>>
>>>
>>> From: Earl Cox [mailto:ear...@ieee.org]
>>> Subject: Threat to Teslas in California Carpool Lane - immediate action
>>> required!
>>>

>>> There¹s a bill up for vote in the CA Legislature that threatens to kill

>>> EV access to HOV (Carpool) lanes in California.
>>> AB 1964 would:
>>> - extend green sticker (Plug-In Hybrid) status in the carpool lanes
>>> until 2021.
>>> - kill white sticker (Battery EVs) status in the carpool lanes in 2019.
>>> - place income restrictions on carpool sticker applicants.
>>>

>>> I don¹t know who sponsored this but it smells like an attack on Tesla

>>> by the legacy ICE auto companies or their shills.
>>>
>>> If you want to have or keep carpool access, you must immediately
>>> contact your California legislator and tell him/her to vote against this
>>> bill.
>>>
>>> source:
>>> https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201
>>> 520160AB1964
>>>
>>> Nagin
>>>
>>> Z. Nagin Cox
>>> ARRM Mission System System Engineer
>>> Tactical Mission Lead : Curiosity Rover Flight Team (Mars Science
>>> Laboratory)
>>> MOXIE System Engineering Team
>>> NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, M/S 264-623,
>>> Pasadena, CA 91109
>>> Office: 264-622L; Mobile: 818-653-5353
>> Kiri
>>
>> --
>> ----- Kiri Wagstaff, Ph.D. ------ kiri.w...@jpl.nasa.gov -----
>> Principal Researcher at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
>> Machine Learning and Instrument Autonomy: http://ml.jpl.nasa.gov/
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
>

--

Robert J. Haw JPL Phone: (818) 354-2567
Mission Design & Navigation Cell: (626) 315-6156
E-mail: rober...@jpl.nasa.gov

Soil Moisture Active Passive Project Office: 264-357

[Wagstaff, Kiri L (398J)]

As an update on this, green stickers are back! And there is now no limit on them. (White stickers still available too.)

https://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/carpool/carpool.htm

This was achieved by passing SB 838. This is not the bill we were discussing earlier (AB 1964). Text of SB 838:

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB838

Section 20 is the relevant one for carpool access stickers.

I lucked out in the timing of my new Volt acquisition and hopefully will have stickers in a few weeks. If you got one during the window when they weren't available, have at!