The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed criteria for hybrid and alternative-fueled vehicles that states might allow to travel in the high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, even when the driver is alone in the vehicle.
The 2005 transportation act required EPA to set the criteria for such clean vehicles.
According to DOE’s Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC), some type of HOV exemption is currently offered in eight states. Washington is not among them.
The EPA is proposing to require the vehicles to be either a dedicated alternative fuel vehicle or a hybrid vehicle that achieves either a 50 percent or better improvement in fuel economy during city driving, compared to a similar gasoline-only vehicle, or a 25 percent or better improvement in average fuel economy.
The EPA also requires the vehicle to meet air quality criteria and to weigh less than 8,500 pounds.