Ford Focus Electric Qualifies For California Carpool Lanes

I never knew this but the ford focus electric actually qualifies to be used in California carpools lanes even if it is only occupied by a single person. I noticed the focus electric was eligible here:

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

This alone almost makes it worth it to own a focus ev. California traffic is usually a nightmare and the carpool lanes are almost always open!

Very nice! Driving a focus ev keeps the dividends rolling it. At this rate more and more people will come over to the winning side and get a ford focus electric for the many compelling, and practical reasons to own one. It'll eventually kill the car pool lane, so you better get a ford focus electric now to take advantage of the benefit while it's there.

I'm moving to Cali. soon. It's nice to know that I can drive my ford focus electric in the car pool lane. It should help tons getting around the busy areas. I'm glad I came to the ford focus electric forums; i don't know if i would have found this out otherwise.

Now everyone in my carpool can drive our own ford focus electric seperately in the carpool lane! How funny would that be to see so many individuals driving a focus ev when people normally expect car fulls of people.

na na na-na-na, :lol:
North Carolina lets you do it too!
High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lane Exemption

Qualified plug-in electric vehicles, dedicated natural gas vehicles, and fuel cell electric vehicles may use North Carolina HOV lanes, regardless of the number of occupants. (Reference House Bill 222, 2011, Senate Bill 194, 2011, and North Carolina General Statutes 20-4.01 and 20-146.2)

I have a quick question about the Ford Focus electric in carpool lanes. It seems based on early reports that 65 mph is the ideal peak speed for the focus ev. Are there not some single carpools lanes with a speed of 70 mph in California? How would this impact the Focus ev long trip driving and will other drivers get mad if you are going too slow possibly?

Carpool stickers are good till. 1-1-2019, 4.5 more years. Also, the green stickers will be increased July 1,2014 by 15,000. Here's the link http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/carpool/carpool.htm

ElectricEV said:

I never knew this but the ford focus electric actually qualifies to be used in California carpools lanes even if it is only occupied by a single person.

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White car pool stickers signify zero emission or CNG vehicles. (Don't ask me why CNG vehicles deserve a sticker, because they really shouldn't.) These stickers have been available since around 2004. One of the basic benefits of owning an EV in California is the white car pool decal. Up until they ran out a few months ago, plug in hybrids were issued green stickers with the same single occupant benefit.

I'm surprised you haven't noticed these decals in the last 10 years, but perhaps those not aware of the various available stickers don't notice the ones on the cars. EVs in California also can use some freeways and bridges toll free. For instance, the 91 Express Lanes in Orange County allow free access to EVs, but you have to apply for and receive a transponder with the agency.

My wife and I both have a 2013 FFE and carpool lane access was one of the most important reasons we decided purchase the cars. It saves us about one hour of commute time per day! CNG burns very clean that's why we can burn it inside our homes so it makes some sense to give it the white sticker.

Good day everyone! Newbie here.
Just signed up this morning after leasing a Ford Focus Electric the past weekend.
Does anybody know who needs to apply for the white carpool lane sticker when leasing?
The dealer is not being very helpful. I believe they have to, since I'm not the actual owner.
I need that sticker here in California ... It's so frustrating now not being able to use the carpool lane.
Thank you all.

mecit said:

Good day everyone! Newbie here.
Just signed up this morning after leasing a Ford Focus Electric the past weekend.
Does anybody know who needs to apply for the white carpool lane sticker when leasing?
The dealer is not being very helpful. I believe they have to, since I'm not the actual owner.
I need that sticker here in California ... It's so frustrating now not being able to use the carpool lane.
Thank you all.

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The dealer should have given you the stickers upon transfer of the car to you. I leased an FFE last weekend and they handed me the stickers as I signed the paperwork.

mcowger said:

mecit said:

Does anybody know who needs to apply for the white carpool lane sticker when leasing?

The dealer should have given you the stickers upon transfer of the car to you. I leased an FFE last weekend and they handed me the stickers as I signed the paperwork.

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It's nice if the dealer takes care of it, but they are not required to, you can apply for the stickers yourself, even if you are leasing.

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/decal.htm

The part I don't understand is who owns a leased car.
The application for the carpool sticker asks for 'current registered owner information'.
I understand that I'm not the owner, therefore I may not be able to apply in my name.
Moreover, the carpool sticker is linked to the vehicle not the person.
The dealer did mention receiving a sticker for another car leased a few days before mine, but now they seem clueless.
It's time for a visit in person ...
Thank you all for the help.

You're making it too hard. Fill out the form, send them what they ask for plus a check for $8 and they will send you the stickers in a few weeks. You are the registered owner...Ford Credit is the lienholder.

My buddy at work leased a Nissan leaf and his dealer told him he had to apply for the sticker. He just got the sticker in the mail and it took just over a week to get his sticker.

mecit said:

The part I don't understand is who owns a leased car.

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Technically, you and the bank are both "owners".

You're the "owner" in the sense that you possess the car. It's your car.

The bank is the "owner" in the sense that they ultimately hold a lien for the car. If you default, then eventually it becomes their car.

But, for the purposes of the HOV sticker application, you are the "owner", whether you purchased or are leasing the car.

foci said:

CNG burns very clean that's why we can burn it inside our homes so it makes some sense to give it the white sticker.

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Not really. Natural gas burns cleaner than conventional gasoline or diesel due to its lower carbon content. But, due to increasingly stringent emissions regulations, the gap has narrowed between tailpipe emissions benefits from natural gas vehicles (NGVs) and conventional vehicles with modern emissions controls.

The point is that CNG is a fossil fuel and is NOT zero emissions. It still still contributes substantial carbon impact to the environment. In fact, there are some who say that NGVs are worse for the environment than diesel. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/02/13/natural-gas-leaks-methane-beyond-epa-estimates/5452829/

But either way, NGVs don't deserve special treatment in the form of car pool entry. The technology needs no incentive to gain a foothold. NGV's just need a CNG tank and some modifications to the engine. The impact of NGV's is arguably no less than other fossil fuel vehicles, and zero emission vehicles should be supported, not fossil fuels.

But, you say, electricity in California comes largely from natural gas. While this point makes sense, do realize that electricity generation plants are not sitting on the street where you live. Also, you CAN plug your car into solar power, the cleanest electricity around.

mecit said:

Good day everyone! Newbie here.
Just signed up this morning after leasing a Ford Focus Electric the past weekend.
Does anybody know who needs to apply for the white carpool lane sticker when leasing?
The dealer is not being very helpful. I believe they have to, since I'm not the actual owner.
I need that sticker here in California ... It's so frustrating now not being able to use the carpool lane.
Thank you all.

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Again, congratulations!

Either the dealer or you can apply. If you've already taken possession and the dealer seems clueless, then I'd say you need to apply since the dealer in probably hasn't done so already.

Start here: http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/decal.htm

See FAQ #4, there is a link to the application. Download and print the application. Easy to fill out, but note that the first box you need to fill out might be a stumbling block - you need to provide your vehicle license plate number. Most of us had to wait for our plates to come in (about a month) before filling out that box and sending the application to the DMV with an $8 check. I have heard of folks calling the dealer shortly after taking delivery of the vehicle, and the dealer was able to give them the plate # that they were assigned, so they were able to send their application in sooner. Might be worth a shot.

After sending in your application, in general it seems to take 2 to 4 weeks to process. When they finally cash your check, you should expect your sticker anywhere between the next day and next week, though some have experienced longer waits. I was one of the lucky ones, my last sticker arrived the day after the check to the DMV was cashed. Here's my long-winded story on that:

http://ev-vin.blogspot.com/2014/03/sticker-shock.html

Good luck!

EDIT: Sorry if this is a little redundant with other replies, I didn't notice there was already a page 2 of this thread with a slew of responses. oops!

Note that if you go with a custom "vanity" plate you'll already know your plate "#" and could fill out the form immediately as well..!