The Civic GX is the only dedicated natural gas vehicle from a major automaker in America, and Honda Manufacturing of Indiana is now its exclusive source.

Ah, the ongoing joys of observing California legislators bestow economic advantages on companies that are marketing the green flavor du jour.

The state that brought you the ill-fated Electric Vehicle mandate that cost automakers billions upon billions of dollars developing what turned out to be non-saleable EVs is again intervening in the market for other alternative fuel vehicles that are now in favor.

Once again it is electric vehicles and some latter day variants that have caught the fancy of lawmakers.

The root problem here is that politicians keep trying to set design standards – favoring one type of technology over another – rather than performance standards, which simply set the goals desired and let companies fight for customers in the marketplace. This results in faster development times and economically feasible results– not that politicians care if anyone will buy the things they are mandating – just look at the whole sorry history of the previous California EV mandate of the 1990s.

In the latest example of this ongoing folly, the recently passed California Assembly Bill 1500 extends HOV lane access to “Inherently Low Emission Vehicles” (ILEV), which includes cars that are certified as zero emission and CNG vehicles. In addition, new HOV stickers will be available for those driving pure battery-electric vehicles, or BEVs, such as the Tesla Roadster.

California drivers of compressed natural gas (CNG) powered Civic GXs, and the “zero-emissions” FCX Clarity fuel cell electric vehicle will continue to have access to coveted High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) highway lanes until January 2015.

The updated law is great news for Nissan, which launches its first BEV, the Leaf, late this year.

Also under the bill and more troubling, the Toyota Prius or Camry, and Honda Civic and Insight hybrids no longer will have access to HOV lanes, in spite of their stunning increases in fuel economy along with their strong sales (especially at Toyota). Hybrid technology is more than theoretically effective  here and actually reduces fuel consumption, lowering the harmful smog emissions that create real health problems, as well as decreasing greenhouse gas emissions in the process.

The last time California regulators ventured into this HOV privilege area, they created a later day gold rush among affluent  buyers who could afford the three highest-mileage hybrids – the Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid and Honda Insight – that were granted HOV access, even if only one person was aboard. Ultimately, after some voter grumbling, the coveted HOV stickers were limited to 85,000. Guess what – a black market resulted for the stickers. (See California Yanks Prius Owners’ Express Lane Passes )

Before this new extension was passed, existing ILEV HOV access stickers were set to expire on January 1, 2011. Under the new law, an unlimited number of HOV lane access stickers will be issued to eligible ILEV vehicles. The only good news here for other beleaguered drivers is that the number of stickers that will be issued will likely be small when the law takes effect January 1, 2011.

The numbers don’t make sense to me. Honda is the only automaker currently selling a dedicated CNG-powered vehicle designed and manufactured for retail sale in the United States. The 2010 Civic GX achieves an EPA-estimated city/highway fuel economy of 24/36 miles per gasoline-gallon equivalent and is the only vehicle certified by the EPA to meet both Federal Tier 2-Bin 2 and ILEV zero evaporative emission certification standards. The Civic GX is available at 43 dealers in California and is priced at about $26,000. However, its sales are so small that Honda has delivered about 11,000 since its 1998 model year introduction.  (See Milestones: 50 Years of American Honda ).  Year-to-date about 400 have been delivered. Maybe a sales boost is coming?

A recent road test by me of the Toyota Camry hybrid – running on regular unleaded fuel – showed the five-passenger sedan, which is two sizes larger than the diminutive, sub-compact Civic, returned 36 miles to the gallon in city driving. EPA rates Camry hybrid at 33/34 city/highway mpg. This compares with the same tests run on the Civic, which come in at 24/36. The EPA combined number puts the Camry ahead at 34 mpg compared to 28 mpg for the Civic CNG. What this means is that the EPA rating of CO2 emissions is actually lower for the larger, safer and more comfortable Camry than the still estimable Civic.

Why is Civic being singled out here? Civic GX owners can refuel at only a handful of public stations around California, or at home with a “Phill” natural gas refueling appliance, which connects to a home’s existing natural gas line and allows for overnight fueling.

The zero emissions, hydrogen powered Honda FCX Clarity fuel cell electric vehicle is available for lease-only in Southern California – year-to-date Honda has leased, drum roll,  ten, and since its ’08 intro, about 25. The sedan is propelled by an electric motor that runs on electricity generated in an on-board hydrogen fuel cell. The FCX Clarity’s only emission is water (depending on how the hydrogen is produced) and its fuel efficiency is said to be three times that of a modern gasoline-powered automobile and two times that of a gasoline-powered hybrid vehicle. (See New Honda Solar Power Hydrogen Station Debuts)

So the sales numbers of the Civic GS are negligible, and the fuel cell Clarity remains a technological triumph, but in terms of roadside reality and its effect on CO2, it has to be tallied at, well, zero so far. GM also has an aggressive fuel cell demonstration program going. (See Hawaii, Hydrogen, and General Motors Fuel Cells)

Therefore, “zero” is the grade I would give California legislators on this latest special privilege law.