It makes sense if you view the HOV lane primarily as a way to reduce emissions, ...

lurking_swe · 2025-09-19T19:31:27 1758310287

buying an EV does not actually reduce emissions like magic, unless the owner drives that car for a looooong time. Like 10-15+ years.

Manufacturing an EV car uses a lot more emissions than an ICE car initially, due to the huge battery.

If the goal is to reduce emissions overall, then target incentives appropriately:

- tax deduction at purchase

- tax deduction for drivers of old (10 yr+) EV vehicles.

This incentivizes EV purchase AND driving that vehicle for a long time. In contrast, allowing EV drivers to use a carpool lane does no such thing IMO.

tanaros · 2025-09-20T05:33:43 1758346423

> buying an EV does not actually reduce emissions like magic, unless the owner drives that car for a looooong time. Like 10-15+ years.

I find this timeframe surprising. I did some quick searches and there are models like GREET that suggest the break-even point is much sooner than that in the US. It is difficult to know for certain, of course, as there are many variables.

Regardless, it is of course better to incentivize long-term ownership as well. I think of HOV access as similar to a tax deduction on purchase. It’s a cheap way to provide a carrot for initial EV adoption.