• Law allowing electric vehicles to use HOV lanes will end Sept. 30 • Law could be renewed by Congress • Electric vehicle buyers may also lose $7,500 federal tax credit on Oct. 1

Anyone who bought an alternative-fuel vehicle to ease their daily commute is going to find that the free ride is coming to an end.

The Arizona Department of Transportation says that a 2005 federal law allowing drivers of electric vehicles to use lanes otherwise reserved for “high occupancy vehicles,” regardless of the number of occupants, is ending. And unless Congress acts by the end of the month, the statute will self-destruct.

That’s not an issue in rural areas. Nor is it in Pima County where the freeways have no HOV lanes.

However, those living in and around Phoenix or Pinal and Yavapai counties can ex

See Full Page