Hi all,<br>When I called the Dept of Motor Vehichles (DMV) in CA, the phone lady told me hybrid cars don't qualify here for the HOV lane access placard, because they don't meet the Federal ILEV standard. Does anyone know whether Prii (and I took 4 yrs of Latin, that is the correct plural ending)meet the Fed ILEV standard?<br> Has anyone in CA actually received the placard? I noticed that the CA form for getting the placard is there on the links, and also a broken link for the CA law.<br>Thanks for you patience with this newbie<br>Ann

&gt;(and I took 4 yrs of Latin, that is the correct<br> plural ending)&lt;<br><br>Hey Ann, sorry I don't have an answer to your question, but since you took Latin, I've been wondering if "Prius" actually means something or if the Toyota folks just made up another faux English word like "Camry". Do you know?

Ann,<br><br>To use the HOV lanes in California, cars must meet the Federal ILEV (Inherently Low Emission Vehicle) standard. The Prius does not meet this standard, because if its emission control system were to fail, it would not have low emissions. Cars that do meet this standard use electricity, LPG (propane), or CNG (natural gas). I'm not saying that I agree with the law, but that's what it is. (More info is in ee_of_ee's message #3050.)<br><br>Actually one member of this (or egroups) site did accidently get a HOV placard a few months ago. There was a lively discussion as to whether he should use it or not.<br><br>Chuck Gibson

Will a CNG or LPG conversion on a Prius qualify for HOV lanes?

Ann<br>On the CA Air Resource board web site they specifically exclude the Prius and the Honda Insight. Also on the DMV form for obtaining the sticker they exclude hybrid cars. So it looks like even tho the Prius is SULEV certified we are not going to be able to qualify for the sticker.<br><br>Al