Panic in the Car Pool Lanes: Hybrids Must Exit

California drivers who loved being all alone with their Prius are feeling a little less amorous these days. That's because the state has voided the car pool lane privileges once enjoyed by more than 85,000 hybrids.

Back in 2005, California began issuing yellow car pool lane stickers to Priuses, Honda Civic Hybrids and Honda Insights. Suddenly, the little cars turned into rockets and went flying down the car pool lanes while all the Porsches, BMWs and Ferraris sat in the gridlock of the "normal" (i.e., stationary) lanes.

The end of the hybrids' special privileges may be a shock but it isn't a surprise. The expiration date of the special permits has been on the books for years.

What to do?

But enough of history. The question now is what's a Prius owner to do? The answer is to find a zero-emission vehicle. They get a special white sticker that gives them car pool lane access through January 2015.

Unfortunately, about the only zero emission vehicles available at the moment are those powered by natural gas. Actually, "available" may be too strong a word. Honda makes the 2012 Civic NGV (natural gas version) but just try finding one.

Production of the Civic NGV has lagged because of a variety of factors and it's not likely the little cars will start rolling into Honda showrooms until fall.

Until then, hybrid owners will have to sit and stew in the slow lanes with the rest of us.

Oh wait, there is another way to get into the car pool lanes – put together a car pool. On most highways, it only takes two people to qualify.