10-01-25 - Solo Drivers Of EVs Are No Longer Allowed To Use HOV Lane As Of Today But John Argues Nothing's Changed

Summary

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Holmberg’s Morning Sickness (98KUPD) – Episode Summary

Episode: 10-01-25 – Solo Drivers Of EVs Are No Longer Allowed To Use HOV Lane As Of Today But John Argues Nothing's Changed
Date: October 1, 2025
Host: John Holmberg (with Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, Dick Toledo)

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into Arizona’s new rule banning solo electric vehicle (EV) drivers from using HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lanes—a change John Holmberg claims hardly matters in practice. The crew debates the real-life enforcement of HOV laws, openly share their experiences of “outlaw” lane use, discuss attempts to bypass the system, and sprinkle in their signature irreverent humor. The HOV discussion segues briefly into recent oddball Arizona news and listener interactions, before riffing on celebrity scandals and station antics.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. New HOV Lane Rule for EVs

[01:22] – [04:03]

• As of today, solo drivers in electric vehicles are no longer allowed to freely use HOV lanes in Arizona during restricted hours (6–9am, 3–7pm).
• The original intention of allowing EVs to use HOV lanes was to encourage environmentally-friendly driving, but the increase in EVs has cluttered the lanes, prompting the change.
• John asserts that enforcement has always been lax:

  "I've been driving in the HOV lane willy-nilly and fancy free for years on end and never once been caught." (John, [01:34])

• John equates the risk of driving solo in the HOV lane to speeding; it’s a calculated civil infraction many accept for convenience.

  "If I told you in January, you get to use that lane all you want. It's just going to cost you 400 bucks up front. As a membership fee, you'd pay it." (John, [03:36])

2. Law Breaking as Everyday Rebellion

[04:03] – [09:55]

• Discusses the 'outlaw' feeling of breaking HOV rules—John describes it as “a very vanilla way to be an outlaw.” (John, [07:37])
• Holmberg encourages listeners to enjoy the small thrill:

  "Get out there and drive in that thing. It is truly exhilarating." (John, [07:29])

• He jokes about tips, like not making sudden lane changes if a cop’s nearby (“If a cop does mosey up behind you, don't abruptly scoot over. Stay in your lane. Act like you're supposed to be there.” [02:37])
• Dismisses worry about company liability, telling management (the “Bobs”):

  "Oh, stuff it up your ass, Bob, you jackass. You stuffed suit." (John, [08:14])

• Brady voices a more rule-abiding perspective, uncomfortable with blatant lawbreaking.

3. Listener Reactions & Exploits

[09:55] – [12:25]

• A listener jokes about using a mannequin to fake a passenger and keep the HOV privilege, which John promptly rejects:

  “If a cop sees a fake person, he's like, all right, I gotta do something about this. Don't. Just...Just drive and be normal.” (John, [04:58])

• Another listener emails suggesting a blow-up doll as a HOV lane fake, to which John responds humorously, emphasizing safety and common sense:

  "Be a good driver… use the HOV lane at your leisure… try to put your devices down." (John, [14:09])

4. Parallels to Other “Broken Promises”

[10:31] – [11:45]

• John likens the removal of HOV perks for EVs to streaming platforms increasing prices after initial promises (e.g., Netflix):

  "It's like when Netflix said they'd never raise the price from $9 and now it's like 30...down in the fine print, it said we could lie." (John, [10:43])

5. Random Arizona Anecdotes & Station Banter

[11:45] – [17:45]

• Brief tangent about a gay porn star with unusual parole conditions, poking fun at the newsroom's odd priorities.
• Updates listeners about the legal department shutting down a station game called 'Merc Mania'—Holmberg grumbles about management’s risk-aversion and jokes about the unlikelihood of ever giving away the promised money.
• Brady and John riff on WNBA trivia and potential cross-over games (e.g., “WNBA player or gay porn star?”).

6. Nostalgia for the Old HOV Exemptions & Traffic Apps

[16:11] – [17:45]

• Reminiscing about hybrid vehicles, propane cars, and how once-easy HOV loopholes have closed.
• Brief discussion on the crime-tracking Citizen app, comparing Chicago’s surge of crime alerts to the relative calm of Arizona:

  "HOV lane Outlaws don't shoot people. Don't commit real crimes. HOV law. Get your outlaw vibe going and you'll be just fine." (John, [17:36])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On HOV Enforcement:
  "Cops don't have time to count passengers. They pull you over for acting like a jackass. And also find out there's only one of you in the car, then you're getting doubled down." – John ([02:33])

• On Small Outlaw Thrills:
  "It's a very vanilla way to be an outlaw." – John ([07:37])

• On Management Liability Fears:
  "Oh, stuff it up your ass, Bob, you jackass. You stuffed suit." – John ([08:14])

• Listener Tip Gone Wrong:
  "Please let John know that as a Tesla owner, I get a government tax credit on buying my first mannequin so I can put it in the front seat of my car and use the HOV lane." – Listener ([04:43])
  "No, no, that's dumb. You're just becoming a news story for Tulsa, Oklahoma." – John ([04:51])

• Regarding Repealed Perks:
  "You paid extra for all the perks and they're taking the perks away. You knew that was going to happen, right?" – John ([10:46])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:22] – New law on HOV lane access for solo EVs; John’s “outlaw” driving confessions
• [02:33] – The realities of enforcement, tips for avoiding tickets
• [04:43] – Listener jokes about fake passengers; John’s response
• [07:37] – Lawbreaking as “vanilla” rebellion
• [10:43] – Netflix and broken promises comparison
• [11:45] – Brief news tangent: the gay porn star with odd parole
• [14:09] – HOV lane usage advice and listener participation
• [16:17] – Hybrid and propane car nostalgia
• [17:36] – Comparing HOV lawlessness to actual crime

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Tone & Style

As always, the show is irreverent, fast-paced, and full of banter. John Holmberg dominates the conversation, peppering his arguments with tongue-in-cheek bravado, while co-hosts offer more reserved or deadpan responses. The tone vacillates between mischievous, playful, and biting social commentary, with plenty of asides and in-jokes for longtime listeners.

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For Listeners Who Missed the Show:

This episode is quintessential HMS—tackling a topical change in Arizona law, questioning authority and enforcement, and elevating everyday mischief to comic rebellion. John’s argument is simple: rules mean little if they aren’t enforced, and the HOV lane has become a “membership club” for those willing to risk a fine for speed and convenience. The podcast’s trademark blend of topical Arizona news, audience engagement, and crude humor keeps things lively, provocative, and highly relatable for the local audience.

Transcript

[A]

You're listening to the HMS podcast brought to you by MMP Guns.com, your most trusted online marketplace for firearms, ammunition and accessories. All right, HMS Podcast, time again to let you know where to go for some great comedy in the Valley this week. For the complete lineups and for tickets, go to standuplive.com desertridgeimprov.com and tempeimprov.com NFL Sunday's coming.

[B]

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[A]

Still streaming Homberg's morning S rolling along on a Wednesday morning Getting through. I saw this article the other day. I got very excited about it. Says electric vehicles to lose solo driver access in HOV lanes starting today. So my plan for the HOV lane gets even better. They're not looking at us non Tesla electric vehicle drivers anymore if they're even thinking about pulling some over. It's the E people. You have free and total access to the HOV lanes today. Turbine engine drivers. It's awesome stuff. I have been driving in the HOV lane willy nilly and fancy free for years on end and never once been caught. The $440 fine which I would be served with had I been caught. Well worth it. For the last decade of driving for free in that cutting right by all you rule followers. It's the best. Did it just yesterday. Phenomenal drive. The only lane that was open was the HOV lane and I'm like there's no way a cop is going to pop up in this thing and pull me over. It's just not happening. So you mind your Own. I did it last week during the rush hour times. Yeah, it's the only time to do it, Brady. And you. You act as if there was some sort of nerve in that. I mean, it's against God in the Bible for you. I don't have that weight. It doesn't bother me. I break all the rules I want within reason. And again, you don't jackass around. You don't speed. You blend. You blend right in with the other cops. Don't have time to count passengers. They pull you over for acting like a jackass. And also find out there's only one of you in the car, then you're getting doubled down. And if you see a cop and you're still stupid enough to stay in the lane the whole time, which, by the way, that's the best advice I can give you. If a cop does mosey up behind you, don't abruptly scoot over. Stay in your lane. Act like you're supposed to be there. But part of the deal was that these HOV lanes were all for electric vehicles. The express lane. And now they're finding that there's too many of those. So starting to screw up. So now, you used to be able to drive around in your Tesla, your Rivian, just by yourself in the HOV lane. Got to have a passenger. You're just like the rest of us. And from 6 to 9am and from 3 to 7 is when you're supposed to not do it. Yeah. They don't ever look for you. And if you get caught. I've said it. I'll say it again. If I told you in January, you get to use that lane all you want. It's just going to cost you 400 bucks up front. As a membership fee, you'd pay it.

[B]

It's a great idea.

[A]

It is. Well, it's not just an idea, Brady. It's the actual principle. Without paperwork or an agreement. Eventually, you'll be offered that agreement when you get pulled over and you sign the little pink piece of paper that says I owe you $440. And. And I'm going to keep doing this. Fantastic.

[B]

Tip your cap and move on.

[A]

That's exactly right. Now, you got me today, sir. But let me tell you this. I have gotten away with this. A tr. And there are some people who are weird about this one. I talked to a guy who said, I can't believe you do that. It's just. Why? Why do that? I'm like, do you speed? Well, I'm. Come on. It's the same thing. There's a posted speed limit sign. You ignore that completely and you do whatever you want there, right? Within reason. Yeah, Right. And, yeah, you're not doing any damage. You're not doing anything wrong. Say, hop over that HOV land, you start driving around in it. It's no different than when you speed. If you want to take a moral stance, well, you're not supposed to do that. It's just for the. No, no. Environmentally, you slowing down in your car is exactly what this is supposed to stop. It's like, to ease traffic, be a little. So you're actually helping out by not sitting there idling. Scooch over, get in that HOV lane. If it's open, the cops just giggling right now. He's like, he's right. We don't look for that. Ask a cop. So what are you doing today? Do you go out, look for speeders or erratic drivers? Or are you just the hov? You know, crossing guard today? Like, that's not a thing. Nobody's out there going, all right, you got HOV detail today. It would be impossible. And it's hard to see in people's cars. You do it today, drive around right now. In fact, if you're by yourself now, scooch over into that HOV lane, you got 13 minutes to break the law. It's a blast. It's a exhilarating. Great. Larry's gonna come. Don't tell people that we're gonna be paying tickets. You know what? Him and the Bobs, it's exhilarating. I. Every time it says a sign, no U turns, I'm like, sure, it's illegal, but it's not impossible. Watch this. So Lisa's cousin has just texted in, said, please let John know that as a Tesla owner, I get a government tax credit on buying my first mannequin so I can put it in the front seat of my car and use the HOV lane. No, no, that's dumb. You're just. You're just becoming a news story for Tulsa, Oklahoma. When they do pull you over for that, if a cop sees a fake person, he's like, all right, I gotta do something about this. Don't. Just. Just drive. Just drive and be normal. Maybe, you know, if they do pull you over, you're caught. That's it. That's all you. It's the same as speeding. You speed and you're like, ah, he got me. Same thing as hov. It's like playing tag. You've been getting away with it forever, and sometimes you're It. But it's very rare. There are so many more of us than there are policemen. So get out there and drive in that thing. It is truly exhilarating because it's like it's a very vanilla way to be an outlaw. Am I right? I don't know. Let's ask John Eaton about that. Oh, he scientifically knows I'm telling the truth. There are risks. And what's life without those? So hop in there and start tooling around. The worst that can happen to you is you get the fine. And then guess what? Start it all over tomorrow and see how long your street can last. Mine's literally since they invented the lane to today. Never been caught. I tool around in that thing for fun sometimes. I'm not even going anywhere. Just drive up and down the freeway once. I'm just going to 51 and hit that lane. See how fast I can get around at 4 o' clock and get home. That's kind of life I live. I'm a rebel. I'm an outlaw. You can only hope to stop me. Good luck. The Bobs will call. Stop telling people to do illegal stuff. Oh, stuff it up your ass, Bob, you jackass. You stuff suit. Well, if anybody gets caught doing that and they say they heard you tell them to do it, then we're liable. No, you're not. Smack your kid. Somebody's gonna do it. That doesn't mean I made them do it. I can say that. I totally think people should smack their kids more often. Not a lot I can do about that anyway. Drive around that HOV line. 11 more minutes of just pure, unadulterated law breaking fun. Your ad. It's an adrenaline stitch that just rises up inside of you. It's amazing and it's fun. You're getting hard over here. I'm getting a little wood going on, Brad. Thanks for noticing. Jesus. So often I'm hard and no one notices. So shut up. John, if everyone starts acting like you, that lane's going to be just as slow as the other ones. And then guess what they'll do. They'll make two. Fanduel is getting you ready for kickoff with an offer you won't want to miss. New customers can bet just $5 and get 300 in bonus bets. If you win, bet 5 bucks. And if it wins, you'll unlock 300 bucks in bonus bets to use all across the app. It's John Holmberg here from the morning sickness. And I'm loving Fanduel and football being back, building parlays like crazy. And you can build parlays, bet player props, ride the live lines. Whatever your style, FanDuel has got you covered. And all you have to do is visit Fandue to download the FanDuel app today and get started. I'll be all over my Steelers this week. It's going to be a blast for me. FanDuel.com KUPD is the promo code. Put it in there and download the FanDuel app today. 21 plus and present in Arizona. First online real money wager only. 5$. First deposit required. Bonus issued as non withdrawable bonus bets which expire seven days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See [e-mail] Gambling problem. Call 1-800-next-step or text NEXT STEP to 533-42. Morning sickness. More lands, more lanes for us to dick around in. It just makes it better. Just awesome. But I never understood the argument. Like. Like you're afraid to get over there. I'm not getting in that lane. You're going 85 when? Like. Yeah, but from 3 to 7pm I'm not in that way. That's scary.

[B]

The worst is in that lane and someone's going 60. 55.

[A]

Well, sorry about that, Brady, but it's a wide open lane and if you're too dumb to use it, I'm going right by you. Slow pokes.

[B]

No, I'm saying when you're in that.

[A]

Lane in the carpool and you want them to go fast. Oh, I like that. You consider 65 creeping good man. Right job, Brady. Still, 60's not creeping a lot of times. On the 51, it's 55's the speed limit. So you're already giving them heat for going over. That's creeping good, man. It says I. I use that thing all the time. That's why I have dead teenagers in my trunk. Signed D4V D. Yeah, that's true. That guy. That guy's been getting away with a real scam for the HOV lanes in his Tesla for a long time. But electric driver, Sorry about that. You paid extra for all the perks and they're taking the perks away. You knew that was going to happen, right? I was like when Netflix said they'd never raised the price from $9 and now it's like 30. And they made a promise. Sign up today and you'll never see a rate hike. Remember when we told you that down in the fine print? It said we could lie about those things. And we did. So. Anyway, good luck with all that. I'm proud of you. Also, I don't know what's going on with us. People are emailing. I don't know the story of this. This is not a celebrity I'm familiar with. But that gay porn star that got let out of jail. Did you see that?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, part of his sentence is that he's not allowed to talk to anyone under 18 and he's never allowed to watch porn again. And I'm like, well, then keep me in jail. Like, I can deal with not talking to teenagers, but not watch porn again. And so how do you monitor that? Well, they have tons of stuff on his computers. Like, he's digitally being constantly. It's like having an ankle bracelet on your computer. Here's the thing, though. His way to make a living was gay porn. They can't take that away from him. He just can't watch it. So he could actually go out and do some gay porn, as I understand it, so long as it's on the up and up, but he can never watch.

[B]

Are you serious? With adults, Right?

[A]

Well, he did. The gay porn he did was evidently with adults, most of it. I don't know his story 100% across the board, but he can still do some features. He just can't. He can never contact anyone under the age of 18 again. That's crazy. I don't know the guy's name, but it's a pretty great story. And the pictures of him are pretty hilarious. And also the story everybody's talking about as Merc Mania goes on. For those of you tuning in today, we're not allowed to play Merc Mania anymore. The legal eagles here at the broadcast company that we work with were insane because they thought that there was a chance we were going to actually give that money away. And there's absolutely no chance, no anyone was going to know after a random phone call, the answer to the question. So we were never really at risk of giving that away, I don't think. And it was my money to begin with, but there are some, you know, some avenues you can't go down and this and that. So I'm like, okay, fine. And their big punishment for me was, you don't do that again. And I'm like, what? Threatened to give half a million dollars of my own money away? Okay, I won't. That seems super reasonable. Great. Well, we came to an accord there, but I got a few messages and they're all over me. So it makes me want to do it. It makes me want to give the money away more, but I can't. Not Allowed to do that. They got nervous that they'd be on the hook. What if she did say the name you've been calling Hopkins to give you that. No. Give you the cash for that house. No kidding. Today I would have had to go. You know what? You're right. I had to go. Hopkins. And get them at 1-800-sell. Now, today's question would have been, who are in the NBA or WNBA finals this year? Oh, man. That was what I would have asked, but I'm not allowed to play the game anymore. We already gave it away this morning, too. Yeah.

[B]

And now I. Yeah, it's not the fever, It's.

[A]

You don't know. Did you forget already?

[B]

Forget already? Brady La Sparks.

[A]

No. Incorrect. Come on.

[B]

Indiana Fever versus the Las Vegas.

[A]

Who you got, kid? Come on.

[B]

Ponies.

[A]

No, no, I'm sorry. Yeah. I didn't name it after the race. Nope. It was the Aces.

[B]

Aces.

[A]

The Aces are playing the Mercury in the finals, which starts, I believe, in Las Vegas Friday night. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Ooh. Book your rooms now. And with that gay porn star, I wanted to play the game. WNBA player or gay porn star? And just name which ones you could do. And then also NASCAR or famous little person. So we'll put that together for Merc Mania later in the. And we'll give away tickets to go see Jeff Dunham. That doesn't scare our bosses as much. We'll play that a little later. Just got an email from a guy. I don't know how you're doing this, because I just jumped into the hov lane. I go, okay, you shouldn't be emailing. I think that's bad. I don't encourage that in the hov lane. This one says, get a blow up, doll. They're cheaper. And when the cops aren't creeping, you can get a little roadie. That's gross. Yeah, No, I still say, be a good driver and, you know, try to put your devices down, but use the HOV lane at your leisure. Today, everybody from 3 to 7, scooch over into the HOV lane like the rest of the lanes are closed, and just see what the. See what the world does. Load them up. Load them up and make that the traffic jam. And for no reason at all, just be like, yeah, this is kind of interesting. A little experiment. Yeah, the signs are up. They say it two or more people risk fines. Well, that's what a speed limit sign is. And it doesn't scare us. So stop acting like you've got, you know, you're not some sort of weird lawbreaker all day long with the speed.

[B]

I don't know how many there would be, but the people, that whole reason they got the electric car has a lot of.

[A]

Well, there used to be the hybrid ones that they'd give you a sticker for back when Napolitano was in charge of stuff and she would give you that EV sticker or whatever that was. It wasn't electric. You just got that fuel mix that was different. You could run off that weird fuel. Remember that? That was when this all first started. Well, then they had propane cars. Yeah, that was it. And the propane cars alternative. That was the one. Yeah. And they wouldn't. You couldn't prove that. Cops are going to waste their time with that. Have you had the citizens app on, on your phone since I told you about. Never alerts you that they pulled someone over for the HOV lane. But there's been a few stabbings. There's people. And I checked Chicago's citizen app because you can just. That must be non stop. It is just gunshots all the time. If you get the citizen app, push back on the whole map and then scooch in on Chicago.

[B]

They've replaced the wild wild west.

[A]

The wild wild west is like, I ain't ever going to Chicago. Like the 1800s here was Tamer than what's there. If you watch the Citizen reports of shots being fired. It's everywhere. Like they do a little bubble for where it's happening. It's everywhere. It's non stop and it's hilarious. Chicago is. It's a shooting gallery, stabbings, people stealing everything. And then just there's a little gun emoji all over the citizen app everywhere. Anyway, what are you gonna do? HOV lane Outlaws don't shoot people. Don't. Don't commit real crimes. HOV law. Get your outlaw vibe going and you'll be just fine. We got rock wars coming up in just a little bit. Get ready for it. It's 98, Arizona's most powerful rock radio station. He said fully erect. 98.