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CA PIA Plate and EV desigination

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vfx

Well-Known Member
Aug 18, 2006
14,790
52
CA CA
I'm throwing this out to the Tesla Motors Club Braintrust.

Recently I went though the process of choosing a vanity plate here in California and noted the selection of seven special interest plates and special logos that all support various charities. I contacted Plug in America suggesting they get a plate to support their efforts thinking the combination of an car organization and plates would be a slam dunk.
I never heard a word back.

This week Colorodo created a new plate

scene_license_plate.jpg
for Project C the Colorado Carbon Fund.

Arizona has a huge selection with a special plate that works instead of the sticker for HOV use (sold out).

Mass. has a bunch with some charitable plates as well. Makes me wonder why California the center of the car universe has so few.

I sent the Colorado plate news to PIA and now they are interested. Of course they asked me to head up the campaign.

Here is what I am thinking. A special plate that has a $25 fee that would go to PIA and separately or in combination, a logo like the CA hand
hand1.gif
or star that only Electric Vehicles can have.



I'm thinking a lightening bolt
images
or a "Plug"
images
symbol might be cool. Of course that would be the EV HOV pass.

Does anyone know of other states with HOV plates or plate stickers or a special plate logo that I can present as examples?

This is really early in the process. On design for the actual plate I remember reading once that Wyland the whale artist wanted his whale tail image back from the charity and that other plates have been art contest winners. At this point I don't know even know what office to go to yet and if you will indulge me I would like to enlist the help of the collective TMC brains and chronicle the process here.
 
Congratulations!

Presumably the graphic/logo will need to be clearly legible to automatic HOV lane monitoring camera systems and has to be appropriate for BEVs, PHEVs and SHEVs?

Also, unlike many here: Motor Vehicle Division I feel that the chosen graphic should still allow the full seven character spaces on the plate for maximum customisation.

How about:

CALIFORNIA
0000000
PLUG-IN-AMERICA

Maybe with the PIA car logo behind? More Product Information

I've only got Paint to work with today - but something along the lines of:-

untitled.JPG
 
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Here in VA we have LOTS of special plates. Any group can make one - you just have to have a certain number for the initial run of plates then they keep the template for all to use later. Maybe you can get some good ideas from looking at Virginia's DMV site. We also have special plates for Hybrids and Electric cars to use HOV lanes. All of those plates start with CF for Clean Fuel. Makes it easy for the cops to catch HOV runners and the cameras as well. I think the DMV site is DMVnow.com but I am not sure a google search would probably find it easily.
 
As mentioned in another thread in Norway you can get a EL (for ELectric) license plate which also gives you less trouble driving in the HOV lanes. You are allowed to drive in the HOV lane without such a plate, but you'd have to dispute all the claims to the contrary.
Specialised plates for car classes that get special rights is IMHO the best option and clearly superior to stickers and other sillyness.

Cobos
 
Thanks guys, You are coming through like I knew you would. You raise some points I had not thought of.

I had assumed that all the CA members of PIA would automatically get this plate but as you point out, if we have a EL, CF or EV or Lightening Bolt symbol required on the plate then everyone of those clever EV vanity plates we see every day would be have to be thrown out. That might severely cut into sales...

Malcom the PIA logo looks kind of busy. Perhaps blow the logo up 50 times? I wonder if the plate has to be predominately white here in CA?

Kevin, thanks for the heads up on VA.

Cobos, I agree, we have plates for Fireman, and VETs (not the animal care kind), etc. so a special rights plate works for me.

At this point I am selfishly only going for pure a pure EV (CA "white sticker") replacement but I am open to other plug-ins considering the name of the group.

Thanks again for you input.