The state should consider ways to differentiate the plug-in hybrids based on range, said Gil Tal of the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies. It should also plan incentives in a way that would the limit supply of permits to keep carpool lanes unclogged but still encourage sales of clean technology vehicles. The state, he said, could offer permits that expire after a year or two, opening up space for a new plug-in buyer. Or it could give people a choice of obtaining a carpool lane permit or the $1,500 clean vehicle rebate the state pays to buyers of plug-in hybrids. “For many people,” Tal said, “the value of the sticker is higher than the $1,500 rebate.”
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