California is changing the law. Can I have my full gas range now?

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Scot4kar5657

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Nov 3, 2018
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California is eliminating access to car pool lanes for my 2016 i3. Only new EVs with the red sticker get to use them. Starting January 1st Green and white stickered vehicles now have to get into the same traffic pile as the v8 suvs. I want BMW to give me the missing 1/2 gallon of gas in return since the software in place to make my car “green” is now pointless. Anyone hear that this is in the works? It’s a hack I have seen on YouTube and in the EU it’s available I believe.
 
I doubt BMW will do that for you as they got certain credits for implementing it that way.

But, it's fairly easy to tweak many data switches in any BMW, and the ones needed to enable the REx to start at <75% and enable it to 'see' the entire tank volume have been around for almost since the i3 came out in the USA. One of the easier methods is with the BImmercode app and a dongle that fits in the OBD-II port...neither of which are expensive. In CA, you can probably find people that will do it for you for free or for a small charge, assuming you live near them or will travel to them.

Fair warning, though, if your car needs a software update down the road, it will restore the factory settings, and you'll have to do it over again, so being able to do it yourself has advantages.

The restriction was all to receive green credits related to the REx not having more range than the batteries. As the battery capacity was extended in 2017, that restriction meant that the full capacity could be used and not exceed the battery range. Like it or not, that's the way it was advertised and sold, so it shouldn't be a surprise to except a few early adopters that took the initial, Euro release's capabilities, and assumed they would follow in the US release.
 
Interestingly enough, the original i3 REx still qualifies for RED stickers- assuming that you never had green or white stickers on that car in the first place! (https://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/carpool/carpool.htm) It will be interesting to see if it still qualifies for whatever new program they have come up with. Unfortunately while my state has a HOV lane sticker program, they will only issue ~6,700 of them, so I ended up getting wait-listed for a sticker :x When I heard back from them saying that my application was accepted, they said I would have to wait approximately 2 years before I would be able to get a sticker.

Coding the car is a fairly straightforward manner, and the Bimmercode app makes it hard to mess up, it's not a foolproof solution however.
 
I think that it's DVD in Motion that will sell you a USB drive with the switching program on it. Insert it, it runs, and enables the functionality. Insert it again, it turns it off. If you're not at all techy, that is probably your easiest choice unless you find someone to do it for you!
 
This topic title is misleading. California law wasn’t changed. From the program start, white/green HOV stickers were issued with January 1, 2019 expirations. Just as the previous yellow HOV stickers expired in 2011. And the current red stickers will expire January 1, 2022.

Also the fuel capacity limits on REx vehicles are to meet BEVx classification under the ZEV credit program that applies to vehicles sold in California, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

The HOV sticker and ZEV programs are independent, which is why REx models got green stickers just like other plug-in hybrids such as the Volt. Green stickers were originally intended to be limited in number while the white ones were unlimited. But the legislature kept increasing the green limit so the state went back to just one color for the third phase.

If you stop to think about it, the HOV sticker expirations make sense because the program exists to encourage the use of new, low emissions vehicles. If the stickers never expired, there would be less incentive for people to help renew the overall fleet.
 
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