Bad news for electric vehicle owners in California.

The California DMV is reminding drivers that federal regulations authorizing Clean Air Vehicle decals, which allowed qualifying cars to use carpool lanes with a single occupant or pay reduced toll rates in some areas, will expire on Sept. 30.

Starting Oct. 1, vehicles with the decals must follow posted occupancy requirements in high-occupancy vehicle lanes or risk a citation.

The decals were valid for up to four years, but the federal government’s decision to end the program means all decals will become invalid on Oct. 1, regardless of when they were issued.

The DMV stopped accepting new decal applications on Aug. 29.

HOV lane access for single-occupant clean-air vehicles in California was first authorized in 1999 and last reauthoriz

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