 The 2014 Cadillac ELR may not be getting all of the praises that the brand would like, but the State of Arizona is showing the car some love by allowing it to legally drive in High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes regardless of how many people are in the car. Meanwhile, more commonly-found hybrids such as the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight are not allowed in Arizona’s HOV VIP MPG OMG lane.
More or less, Arizona’s HOV eligibility stems from whether the vehicle is an EREV, full EV, or plug-in hybrid. Any vehicle that can be plugged in seems to be getting a pass. Even more performance-oriented models such as the Porsche Panamara S E-Hybrid and Fisker Karma get the pass. But space is limited, as passes are reserved for 10,000 plug-in vehicles.
Comment
I congratulate the Arizona State for such forward thinking and execution, as more BEVs and EREVs will get the HOV passes, but not the hybrids that will still burn gas. I expect the other 49 State , especially California, to follow suit, then extend the limit to just BEVS and EREVs, not the other plug-in hybrids. Finally, all imports will be excluded as America takes the lead again.