According to the U.S. Department of Energy<\/a>, 13 other states have similar incentives in place.<\/p>\n States need authorization from the U.S. government to establish those programs and keep them in place because federal dollars flow into the highway system.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the problem: The authorization is set to expire at midnight on Sept. 30.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are working with several federal legislators to try to extend the program,\u201d said Curt Augustine<\/a>, senior director for state affairs at the Alliance for Automotive Innovation<\/a>, a trade group for the U.S. auto industry. \u201cBut it will require legislation and will need to be passed by both houses of Congress and signed by the president for that to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n Can all that be done in time?<\/p>\n \u201cIt is possible,\u201d Augustine said. \u201cWe\u2019re crossing our fingers. We\u2019ve been working on it for about a year and a half already.\u201d<\/p>\n The decal program \u201cis ENDING,\u201d the California Department of Motor Vehicles website<\/a> says, and the Clean Air Vehicle stickers \u201cwill no longer be valid\u201d as of Oct. 1.<\/p>\n Under a Frequently Asked Questions drop-down, the site says, \u201cWhile the federal government gives the DMV the authority to create the CAVD program, the state must follow federal regulations that are expiring.\u201d<\/p>\n That means unless something gets done fast in Washington, drivers starting Oct. 1 must \u201cobey the posted vehicle occupancy requirement to travel in the carpool (HOV) lane or risk receiving a citation and fine.\u201d<\/p>\n Augustine said the change is not due to the giant budget bill that recently passed on Capitol Hill with Republican support and signed into law by President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n Dubbed the \u201cOne Big Beautiful Bill,\u201d the 940-page legislation<\/a> included getting rid of the federal tax credit of up to $7,500 on the purchase of electric vehicles, effective Sept. 30.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is completely different,\u201d Augustine said, adding that the program\u2019s renewal has been stalled for a couple of years.<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, zero-emissions vehicles have become somewhat politicized in our country and that has hindered some of our efforts to extend this program \u2026 It\u2019s a coincidence that it just happened to expire this year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Augustine said extending the program cannot be done through a simple directive by a federal agency, such as the U.S. Department of Transportation.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is law, so Congress will have to pass it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n If an extension is not passed in the coming weeks, the programs in California and other states can still be revived later if something eventually clears all the legislative and executive hurdles in Washington.<\/p>\n \u201cIf it doesn\u2019t get done by Oct. 1, we are more hopeful that it could get done sometime next year,\u201d Augustine said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want a gap in the timing because that\u2019s very confusing to consumers \u2014 but having a gap in the program is better than having no program at all.\u201d<\/p>\n Last year in the California Legislature, Assemblymember Greg Wallis, R-Bermuda Dunes<\/a>, authored Assembly Bill 2678<\/a> that extended the decal program through Jan. 1, 2027. It passed both chambers in Sacramento was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom.<\/p>\n But the extension under AB 2678 cannot go into effect until something gets passed on Capitol Hill and signed by President Trump, Augustine, said because \u201cfederal law supersedes the state law\u201d in this case.<\/p>\n The California New Car Dealers Association<\/a> has not taken a formal stance on whether the sticker program should be extended.<\/p>\n \u201cIdeally it would be great if the program could continue \u2026. but it can\u2019t go on forever,\u201d said Brian Maas, the association\u2019s president<\/a>. \u201cIt made sense when the carpool lanes weren\u2019t crowded to also include EVs. But we\u2019re at a place now where 20% of the California market is EVs. So the incentive, frankly, is much less than it used to be.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Vehicles](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SUT-L-HOV-STICKER-001.jpg\")
Vehicles used the HOV lane on Interstate 805 in Chula Vista. The federal law that allows California\u2019s electric vehicles to use the high-occupancy vehicle lane without passengers is set to expire, spelling a likely end to a popular incentive amid broader attacks on EV-friendly policies by the Trump administration. (Nelvin C. Cepeda \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n