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Designated Use of HOV Lanes by
Alternate Fuel Vehicles (AFV)

Applying for an Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV) Tag

Click here to visit the Georgia Department of Revenue's Alternative Fuel Vehicle tag web site.

Hybrid Vehicles

Currently, hybrid vehicles are not eligible for the Georgia Alternate Fuel License Plates. Therefore, single-occupant hybrid vehicles cannot use the HOV lanes - the same prohibition as for conventional-powered vehicles.

In 2004, the Legislature amended the Georgia code governing Alternate Fuel Vehicle License Plates to extend eligibility to hybrid electric vehicles but provided that single-occupant hybrids could not use HOV lanes unless Congress amended the existing federal prohibition.

A federal transportation law, called SAFETEA-LU, enacted in August 2005 gave states the authority to allow vehicles that meet certain criteria for low emissions and high energy efficiency to use HOV lanes with a single occupant if such use would not degrade the performance of the HOV lanes. Congress directed the US Environmental Protection Agency to promulgate a rule to designate exactly which vehicles qualify according to the emission and fuel efficiency criteria specified in SAFETEA-LU. It was anticipated that many hybrids would meet the criteria. A proposed rule was issued in May 2007 and after a public comment period, a final rule will be adopted. In order to allow qualifying single-occupant hybrids, SAFETEA-LU requires state DOTs to manage the lanes to avoid degrading performance (according to criteria specified in the law), to continually measure performance and to effectively enforce restrictions on users.

Georgia DOT will have to determine whether allowing the qualifying hybrids to travel in HOV lanes would degrade the performance of the lanes. If the performance of certain segments or possibly all HOV lanes would not be degraded, GDOT would then have to allocate funding and install infrastructure to manage and continuously monitor the performance of those HOV lanes where the hybrids are permitted. The Georgia Department of Revenue would have to issue special identifying license plates for the qualifying vehicles.

Updated May 29, 2007. 12:35

© 2003-2007 Georgia Department of Transportation

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