Current CA HOV Sticker processing time

[alexecar]

Hi,

For you living in CA who got a grey HOV lane sticker recently, how long did you have to wait?
I sent my application on Jan 20, over 3 weeks ago. My $8 check to DMV has not been cashed yet. The diamond lane is calling !

Regards,
Alex

 

[JoulesThief]

I don't know about a grey HOV sticker, mine is white. Plan on 5 to 7 weeks. BTW, here in Los Angeles, I've found that my Clean Air Sticker is so common that it doesn't save me hardly any time on the 405 from the SFV to LAX... nada.... too many people have got them, it's of no added value, where I drive. YMMV.

 

[forbin404]

I don't know about a grey HOV sticker, mine is white. Plan on 5 to 7 weeks. BTW, here in Los Angeles, I've found that my Clean Air Sticker is so common that it doesn't save me hardly any time on the 405 from the SFV to LAX... nada.... too many people have got them, it's of no added value, where I drive. YMMV.

3 Months it took back in March, I'm at 7 weeks and still waiting for my current car.

 

[mhathawa]

I leased my car on December 31 and had to wait for the DMV paperwork to be filed by the dealership so I could get my plate numbers. I didn't get the plate numbers until January 18th, and that same day I mailed off the HOV sticker application and the $8 check. The DMV cashed my check on February 8th and it posted to my bank account on February 10th. I received my stickers in the mail this past Saturday, February 13th.

So yours should be arriving this week. Hope that helps!

 

[forbin404]

I leased my car on December 31 and had to wait for the DMV paperwork to be filed by the dealership so I could get my plate numbers. I didn't get the plate numbers until January 18th, and that same day I mailed off the HOV sticker application and the $8 check. The DMV cashed my check on February 8th and it posted to my bank account on February 10th. I received my stickers in the mail this past Saturday, February 13th.

So yours should be arriving this week. Hope that helps!

Huh your Dealer didn't apply for the HOV sticker right there?
You had to pay the $8 fee SEPARATE?

 

[RonDawg]

BTW, here in Los Angeles, I've found that my Clean Air Sticker is so common that it doesn't save me hardly any time on the 405 from the SFV to LAX... nada.... too many people have got them, it's of no added value, where I drive. YMMV.

On some freeways (in my area, it's the 210) the HOV lanes are no better than the regular ones. But having the stickers is still better than not having them.

For example, there's still the onramps, many of which are unmetered for HOV's. If you have occasion to use the Metro HOT lanes on the 10 or 110 freeways, those white stickers + a FasTrak with 3 position switch (Metro and now 91 Express Lanes issue these, I don't know about others) allows free access for EV's as long as the switch is set to the "3+" position. For Bay Area people who commute over the bridges, during peak hours it allows discounted tolls, plus from what I've seen a generally a faster moving line for the HOV lane at the toll booths.

 

[DepletedZPM]

Capitol VW told me that they pre-order the HOV stickers after they get the VINs of vehicles en route to them. I leased mine 12/29, the plates arrived 2/3 (via the dealer) and when I prodded them on 2/10, they replied that the HOV stickers were in.

For some reason, Capitol's DMV specialist wants me to come pick up the stickers during his office hours. It will be a while before I can make that trek, so that's a negative mark on their dealership...

 

[sodakar]

For me... YMMV, of course.

HOV Stickers:
01/04/2016 - application sent
01/25/2016 - check cashed
02/02/2016 - stickers arrived

 

[mhathawa]

I leased my car on December 31 and had to wait for the DMV paperwork to be filed by the dealership so I could get my plate numbers. I didn't get the plate numbers until January 18th, and that same day I mailed off the HOV sticker application and the $8 check. The DMV cashed my check on February 8th and it posted to my bank account on February 10th. I received my stickers in the mail this past Saturday, February 13th.

So yours should be arriving this week. Hope that helps!

Huh your Dealer didn't apply for the HOV sticker right there?
You had to pay the $8 fee SEPARATE?

Correct, dealerships handle it differently. Some even order the decals as soon as they have a VIN and you get the stickers when you pick up the car, others will file the paperwork and pay the fee, then there are dealerships like mine that didn't do anything related to the HOV stickers, other than delay filing the DMV registration, which further delayed when I could submit my application (you have to wait for a plate number). I really had to hound my dealership to get me the plate numbers as soon as possible. So yeah, since I've had the car since January 1st, but I've only driven it a handful of times because I didn't get my HOV stickers for a month and a half. Kind of ********. Having those stickers saves me $2.50 per day on my commute (carquinez bridge) and saves me about 10 minutes of commute time per day. I've been driving my Fit EV for these last 7 weeks instead of my new E-Golf for these exact reasons.

 

[JoulesThief]

Correct, dealerships handle it differently. Some even order the decals as soon as they have a VIN and you get the stickers when you pick up the car, others will file the paperwork and pay the fee, then there are dealerships like mine that didn't do anything related to the HOV stickers, other than delay filing the DMV registration, which further delayed when I could submit my application (you have to wait for a plate number). I really had to hound my dealership to get me the plate numbers as soon as possible. So yeah, since I've had the car since January 1st, but I've only driven it a handful of times because I didn't get my HOV stickers for a month and a half. Kind of ********. Having those stickers saves me $2.50 per day on my commute (carquinez bridge) and saves me about 10 minutes of commute time per day. I've been driving my Fit EV for these last 7 weeks instead of my new E-Golf for these exact reasons.

How much does it save on the Golden Gate bridge, and and any other bridges around the Bay area? I've always noticed it's called a Zero Emissions sticker, or a white sticker. Being retired, I rather rarely use the HOV feature.

Frankly, I find the stickers look like hell on the car, defacing the bumper much like grafitti would, painted on a wall. It just looks degrading. I wish California would just designate EV license plates with some sort of code that designates it's an electric vehicle. Maybe first two letters are EV, and then 5 other letters for 26 to the fifth power of combinations?

I see many Tesla's with the decals plastered or taped inside rear and side window wings, instead of on the bumper, here in Los Angeles, so I guess they agree with the defacing of property principle.

 

[alexecar]

Thanks everyone for your responses, I feel more hopeful now seeing that a few of you got your stickers already from Dec/Jan purchases. I can shave off up to 30 min one-way from my commute in SF South Bay. I am paying my lease for 3 stickers (with a car attached), and I think they are worth it.

Regards,
Alex

 

[Verkehr]

Hi Alex,
My $8 check was cashed exactly 4 weeks after it was mailed and the stickers arrived 6 days later on Thursday 2/11.

 

[JoulesThief]

Thanks everyone for your responses, I feel more hopeful now seeing that a few of you got your stickers already from Dec/Jan purchases. I can shave off up to 30 min one-way from my commute in SF South Bay. I am paying my lease for 3 stickers (with a car attached), and I think they are worth it.

Regards,
Alex

Just remember, if you need to extend your range on a charge, perhaps not driving in the HOV lane, driving slower and in stop and go, will extend the range of the charge in your battery, and the distance you can go between recharging.

Seems counter intuitive, but it is indeed true.

 

[RonDawg]

Having those stickers saves me $2.50 per day on my commute (carquinez bridge) and saves me about 10 minutes of commute time per day.

How much does it save on the Golden Gate bridge, and and any other bridges around the Bay area?

It's a $2 savings ($4.25 vs. $6.25) and it ONLY applies to white-stickered cars. Green-stickered PHEVs do NOT get discounted tolls on the GGB. That's because the Golden Gate Bridge is NOT operated by Caltrans unlike the other Bay Area bridges, so the rules are different. BTW as the GGB no longer has humans collecting tolls, if you don't have a FasTrak it's a whopping $7.25 to cross as you will be billed via a PlatePass sort of system. Source: http://goldengatebridge.org/tolls_traffic/toll_rates.php

For the other bridges it's a $2.50 savings. BUT for all the bridges the carpool rates apply only during peak commuting hours: 5-9 AM and 4-6 PM for the GGB, and 5-10 AM and 3-7 PM for the other bridges. Any other time you are charged the standard non-peak rate like a solo occupied non-stickered car. The GGB does not have a "peak" toll like the others and charges the same for vehicles that don't qualify for the HOV lane regardless of time frame.

Frankly, I find the stickers look like hell on the car, defacing the bumper much like grafitti would, painted on a wall. It just looks degrading. I wish California would just designate EV license plates with some sort of code that designates it's an electric vehicle. Maybe first two letters are EV, and then 5 other letters for 26 to the fifth power of combinations?

I agree. For one thing, we don't need that many stickers. One sticker on the rear bumper and one sticker on the front (so the CHP can see it when they're parked off to the side) is sufficient. Not three of them.

I also prefer a license plate-based solution. I think it's Illinois where EV's have a specially designed "EL" license plate. If firemen can get their own special license plate with what looks like a ripoff of the poster from "Backdraft" then I don't see why we can't have a license plate with what has become universal symbol for a charging station (gas pump with an electric socket).

I see many Tesla's with the decals plastered or taped inside rear and side window wings, instead of on the bumper, here in Los Angeles, so I guess they agree with the defacing of property principle.

Only problem is those are no more legal than putting your license plate in the window, rather than in the manufacturer-designated spot. I've seen a few solo-occupied Teslas riding the HOV lanes "bareback" (no stickers) but CHP will sometimes cite those folks:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J180M6dXcMI and skip to 1:35

 

[alexecar]

Finally got my stickers, so this is the overall path to it:

01/04/16: Got car and applied for license plates
01/20/16: Got license plates and applied for HOV stickers
02/26/16: $8 check got cached by DMV
03/05/16: HOV sticker arrived in the mail

Yay!
Alex

 

[forbin404]

Sigh, and I found out my dealer FORGOT to tell me that they aren't processing the form.
3 months of waiting down the drain.

03/01/2016 : Form Submitted.

 

[JoulesThief]

Sigh, and I found out my dealer FORGOT to tell me that they aren't processing the form.
3 months of waiting down the drain.

03/01/2016 : Form Submitted.

Who was your dealer?

 

[Sptgolf]

So I told my friend about EV's and he wound up with a Ford Foucus EV. They already had the stickers on all their cars. I'm still waiting on mine. How can the Ford dealers do that and not VW?

 

[miimura]

So I told my friend about EV's and he wound up with a Ford Foucus EV. They already had the stickers on all their cars. I'm still waiting on mine. How can the Ford dealers do that and not VW?

Some VW dealers do it. Sunnyvale VW had pre-applied for mine and they mailed them to me from the dealership just before I got my plates. Good thing they came first, because as soon as I got the plates I would have applied for the stickers myself.

 

[Sptgolf]

Feb 18 bought car.
3 weeks later got plates, applied for stickers.
Apr 11 check cashed by DMV
Apr 15 got stickers.

Stickers on! CA rebate been approved for a while but no check yet. They should really speed that up. If they can do a tax refund via direct deposit in a few days they can cut a rebate check in less than 2 months.