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The Free Ride for EVs in the Carpool Lane Is Coming to an End

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The Free Ride for EVs in the Carpool Lane Is Coming to an End


A rough year for electric vehicle adoption just got a little rougher for owners in some parts of the US. Starting next month, EVs will no longer be able to ride in the fast lane in California, after the US federal government and Congress failed to reauthorize a popular program that has given hybrid and electric vehicles access to state carpool lanes—and worked to promote the sale of electrics for more than 25 years.

Under the program, California drivers with qualifying electric, plug-in hybrid, or hydrogen fuel cell vehicles could purchase $27 stickers that gave them access to several highway carpool lanes, plus discounts on a number of toll roads and bridges—even if a driver was alone in their car. Over 1 million decals have been issued to California drivers since the program’s start in 1999, and hundreds of thousands of vehicles have decals today.

However, those decals will no longer be valid after September 30, the California Department of Motor Vehicles said in a press release. Drivers who currently have stickers—even those who purchased them recently—won’t receive refunds, the department confirmed.

California isn’t alone. Another pilot project that gave some New York state electric-vehicle drivers access to carpool lanes will also end. Over 48,000 New Yorkers had received decals through that Clean Pass program.

The programs are ending because they were not reauthorized by the president and Congress, says Walter McClure, a spokesperson for the New York Department of Motor Vehicles. The White House did not respond to WIRED’s questions about why President Donald Trump chose not to reauthorize the program.

The end of the decal program is yet another knock back for US electric vehicles, which are facing long-term slower-than-projected sales in the country following a cut in government support for the newer car tech. EV-curious buyers have rushed to purchase new and used electric vehicles before tax credits, worth up to $7,500, end this month. But analysts expect that US sales will once again slow after the credit expires, even as the rest of the world continues its transition to EVs. Just a year ago, many analysts projected that between a quarter and a half of new US cars sold in 2030 would be electric; since then, those projections have been cut by half.

But while the California program’s end will likely frustrate plenty of EV drivers, it might not make a meaningful dent in the state’s transition to new-energy vehicles. The state has raced ahead of the rest of the country in EV adoption; 22 percent of new light-duty vehicles sold in the state so far this year have been battery-electric, plug-in hybrid, or hydrogen-powered, according to state data. Compare that to the projected 8 percent of new electrified vehicle sales for the rest of the country, and the reason for the program closure might become clearer—it seems the state’s carpool lanes were getting crowded.

The decal program “worked nicely as a bundle with monetary incentives,” says Gil Tal, the director of the Electric Vehicle Research Center at UC Davis, who has studied the effectiveness of the decal program over the past decade. “It was another reason to buy an electric car.”



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Amazon’s Spring Sale Is So-So, but Cadence Capsules Are a Bright Spot

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Amazon’s Spring Sale Is So-So, but Cadence Capsules Are a Bright Spot


The WIRED Reviews Team has been covering Amazon’s Big Spring Sale since it began at on Wednesday, and the overall deals have been … not great, honestly. So far, we’ve found decent markdowns on vacuums, smart bird feeders, and even an air fryer we love, but I just saw that Cadence Capsules, those colorful magnetic containers you may have seen on your social media pages, are 20 percent off. (For reference, the last time I saw them on sale, they were a measly 9 percent off.)

If you’re not familiar, they allow you to decant your full-sized personal care products you use at home—from shampoo and sunscreen to serums and pills—into a labeled, modular system of hexagonal containers that are leak-proof, dishwasher safe, and stick together magnetically in your bag or on a countertop. No more jumbled, travel-sized toiletries and leaky, mismatched bottles and tubes.

Cadence Capsules have garnered some grumbling online for being overly heavy or leaking, but I’ve been using them regularly for about a year—I discuss decanting your daily-use products in my guide to How to Pack Your Beauty Routine for Travel—and haven’t experienced any leaks. They do add weight if you’re trying to travel super-light, and because they’re magnetic, they will also stick to other metal items in your toiletry bag, like bobby pins or other hair accessories. This can be annoying, especially if you’re already feeling chaotic or in a hurry.

Otherwise, Capsules are modular, convenient, and make you feel supremely organized—magnetic, interchangeable inserts for the lids come with permanent labels like “shampoo,” “conditioner,” “cleanser,” and “moisturizer.” Maybe you love this; maybe you don’t. But at least if you buy on Amazon, you can choose which label genre you get (Haircare, Bodycare, Skincare, Daily Routine). If this just isn’t your jam, the Cadence website offers a set of seven that allows you to customize the color and lid label of each Capsule, but that set is not currently on sale.



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Fellow Readers, Don’t Miss These E-Reader Sales

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Fellow Readers, Don’t Miss These E-Reader Sales


This is the older Kindle Scribe, but the price and features are the best you’ll get, especially when it’s on sale like this. I still reach for this model even though I have the newer third generation, and keep in mind the second generation will also get some of the newer software and experiences over time. With the sale, it’s half the price of the newer model.

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Kindle Colorsoft and Colorsoft Signature Edition

If you’re already a Kindle reader and looking to upgrade, it’s likely because you want a new feature like a color screen. While the Kobo above is the better buy, if you want to stay in the Kindle ecosystem but add some color to your books, both the Colorsoft and Colorsoft Signature are on sale.

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Kindle (2024, 11th Gen)

If you’re looking to spend as little as possible, the basic Kindle (11th generation) is still a great e-reader and is currently under $100. It can do almost everything the other Kindles can (except the Scribe) on a snappy black-and-white screen. It doesn’t have a warm front light either, but it’s still a great purchase for the price.


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This Speaker I Tried From Soundboks Can Handle a Real Party

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This Speaker I Tried From Soundboks Can Handle a Real Party


In addition to the rubber balls, there’s a nice physical interface on the side for adjusting volume and pairing multiple Mix speakers together if you have multiple on hand (I was only sent the single mono speaker). Setup involves installing the Soundboks app, pairing to the speaker via Bluetooth on your phone, and picking whatever you want to play. It’s all quick and painless, especially for my first-time pairing with a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Otherwise, it’s all very pro audio. Everything reminds me very much of the Peavey PA system I have in my music rehearsal space. The top of the speaker features a built-in carrying handle and a place for a strap (an accessory you have to buy aftermarket, or you can fasten it with any strap you have that fits through the hole). There are also top-hat mounts for the speakers to slide onto traditional PA pole stands, if you wanted to use them in that way at a party or event.

The grill is replaceable, as is the massive internal battery, which means that these things are pretty much indestructible as long as the amp and speakers themselves still work—the battery is the weak point of most portable speakers in 2026.

I bounced it around my yard, dropped it off my patio, and generally beat the crap out of it during my two-week testing period, and the thing just needed a little wipe down and a charge when it ran out of juice. The claimed 40 hours of battery at reasonable volume is accurate, but you’ll get about eight hours at max volume (which is very good for the category). If you need to bring some walk-out music to your kid’s all-day Little League tournament, this a great way to go.

Big Sound

Photograph: Parker Hall

Soundboks calls this speaker midsize, but at 21.4 pounds and the size of a medium-size cooler, I’d still call it a large speaker. That said, the size doesn’t make it any less portable than competitors from JBL and others; you still need a car or cargo ebike to take one of these with you, so what’s a couple inches here or there? The fact that this is a rectangle actually makes it easier to strap down than many others, especially with the holes for the strap and the built-in handle to tie down through.



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