It’s another major milestone for the Chevrolet Volt: After Chevy engineers fine-tuned its catalytic converter for further reduced emissions, the 2012 Volt will be eligible for California’s high-occupancy-vehicle (HOV) lane sticker. As a result, Volt drivers will have access to the state’s car-pool lanes for notably less stressful commutes—and as an added bonus, they’ll pay noticeably less money to gain that advantage.
That’s because the ’12 Volt also will qualify for a $1,500 state tax credit from California, which comes on top of the U.S. government’s $7,500 federal tax benefit. Slicing some $9,000 from the cost of the Volt lowers the net price of admission to just $30,145, and it offers customers a surprisingly affordable opportunity to take advantage of the Chevy’s other benefits: The Volt is capable of up to 35 miles of all-electric, no-emissions driving on a single charge, and then can provide hundreds of more miles of range with an onboard internal-combustion engine that delivers EPA ratings of 35 mpg city/40 mpg highway/37 mpg combined—those are the exact same marks as the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, which, however, does not qualify for the Golden State’s HOV lanes.
“HOV lane access is a coveted perk in California,” said Chris Perry, vice president of Global Chevrolet Marketing. “The low-emissions Volt will be a strong draw for drivers who commute daily in the most-congested driving environments in the United States.”
Chevrolet expects the 2012 Volt to begin reaching California dealerships in March, complete with a clean bill of health from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; the agency is currently on record as saying it “does not believe that Chevy Volts or other electric vehicles pose a greater risk of fire than gasoline-powered vehicles.”
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