No Longer Specialized, Electric Car Drivers Are Even Threatened With A Fine Of IDR 8 Million

Photo illustration of a road in Los Angeles, California, United States. (Photo: Pexels)

JAKARTA - Changes in transportation policies in California, United States starting December 1, 2025, preventing electric vehicle (EV) owners from being allowed to go alone on the carpool (HOV) route. Now, there are no more privileges for electric car drivers.

For more than 25 years, the carpool lane can be used by a 'Clean Air Vehicle' electric vehicle even though it only brings one person. The rule was originally designed to encourage people to switch to low-emission vehicles.

However, the rapid growth of the EV population is considered to make the special route even more crowded so that the original goal is no longer achieved. As reported by Carscoops, Wednesday, December 3.

Starting in early December, anyone who continues to use the carpool route without the number of passengers according to the rules will be fined $490, or around IDR 8 million. In its official notification, the California authorities confirmed that the program had ended.

For electric car users, this change is quite impactful. This is because many of them have for years relied on carpool lines to cut travel times.

A club leader with EVs in the Silicon Valley region said that access to the fast lane often saves about 20 minutes on every trip to departure and return to work. Now, EV owners must return to regular lanes with other vehicles in traffic conditions that are often congested.

Efforts to maintain the facility were made through filing a resolution at the federal level by a number of California legislators. However, the proposal failed to advance to the voting stage, so the new rules remained in place and the Clean Air Vehicle program ended without an extension.

With this change, California hopes that the carpool line will return to function as originally intended to encourage the use of joint vehicles and reduce traffic density. Meanwhile, EV owners must adjust their driving habits to current regulations.