We tracked over 2 dozen EV-related bills introduced in the Hawaii legislature in the 2021 session. Four have been made it through both chambers and have been signed into law by Governor Ige! SB60 which authorizes the new Hōkūleʻa license plate was signed earlier this month. On June 24, 2021, Ige signed the remaining bills into law:

HB552 - Establishes clean ground transportation goals for state agencies on a staggered basis, achieving a 100 percent passenger vehicle clean fleet by December 31, 2030 (40 percent by December 31, 2025). New purchases of light-duty motor vehicles must be zero-emission by January 1, 2022. This was signed into law as Act 74 on June 24, 2021.

HB424 - Requires all state and county entities, when renting a vehicle on behalf of a state employee in the discharge of official government business, to rent electric or hybrid vehicles. This was signed into law on June 24, 2021 as Act 73.

HB1142 - Allocates 3 cents of the barrel tax to fund the installation of EV charging systems and enforcement of 297-71 HRS - penalties for failure to comply with the requirement to install and maintain charging stations; authorizing penalties for improper parking in an EV charging stall; requiring that stations are maintained. This was signed into law as Act 75 on June 24, 2021.

The following bills have an impact on sustainable transportation and have also become law.

SB1402 - Support of multi-modal transportation with the requirement to create motor vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian highway and pathway networks. This measure helps to reduce 'vehicle miles traveled,’ an important strategy for reducing emissions. This was signed into law as ACT 131 on June 30, 2021.

SB932 - Establishes a clean energy and energy efficiency revolving loan program, to be used to acquire clean energy systems, including electric vehicles. This was signed into law as Act 107 on June 28, 2021.

Bills That Died

The following bills have not been heard by all committees, have been deferred, or died in conference. Some of these may come back to ‘life’ in the next legislative session.

SB768 - Requires lessors of rental motor vehicles to incorporate zero-emission vehicles into their rental motor vehicle fleets.

SB920 - Establishes clean ground transportation goals for state agencies to achieve a one hundred percent light-duty motor vehicles zero-emission fleet by December 31, 2030.

SB1311 - Requires the department of education to establish food waste and zero-emission vehicle goals as part of the sustainable schools initiative. Requires annual reports to the legislature.

HB803 / SB756 - Authorizes each county to adopt ordinances to enforce section 291-71, HRS, including the establishment of penalties for failure to comply with its requirements or make reasonable efforts to maintain the electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in working order.

HB627 - Authorizes the issuance of special EV license plates depicting Hōkūleʻa. Revenue is intended to support the Polynesian Voyaging Society. More details on the design can be viewed here.

SCR89 - Urging the University of Hawaii system and Department of Education to include training, courses, and curricula related to the mechanics, repair, and maintenance of electric vehicles, hydrogen vehicles, and other alternative fuel vehicles in their programs.

SB798 - Requires the State to purchase only zero-emission vehicles for its motor pool fleet beginning on 1/1/22.

SB798 - Requires the State to purchase only zero-emission vehicles for its motor pool fleet beginning on 1/1/22.

SB303 - Requires all state and county entities, when renting a vehicle on behalf of a state employee in the discharge of official government business, to rent electric or hybrid vehicles.

HB463 - Sets the goal of employing one hundred percent clean ground transportation for the public and private transportation sectors by December 31, 2030.

SB500 - Establishes clean ground transportation goals for state agencies on a staggered basis until achieving a 100 percent light-duty motor vehicle clean fleet by 12/31/2035, and all light-duty motor vehicles in the State by 12/31/2045 (HB552 is the House version.)

SB164 - Requires the State to electrify its motor vehicle fleet by 1/1/2035.

HB802 / SB763 - Increases from 1 parking space to 4 parking spaces the number of parking spaces that a place of public accommodation with at least one hundred parking spaces is required to offer by 7/1/2026

HB1334 - Establishes a rental motor vehicle emissions surcharge and a climate change mitigation and adaptation commission special fund to support the activities of the climate change mitigation and adaptation commission.

SB773 - Prohibits the issuance of certain new residential multi-family and commercial building application permits and new state building application permits initiated on or after January 1, 2022, unless the building's parking stalls are electric vehicle charger ready. (HB1140 is the house version)

SB761 - Requires a transition to silent, clean electric mopeds by prohibiting a retailer from selling or offering for sale combustion engine-powered mopeds after 12/31/2022. Deferred by TRS on February 4.

SB774 - Provides a tax credit for the installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure or purchase of an electric rental motor vehicle. Deferred by TRS and EET on February 12.

SB1309 - Establishes an electric vehicle incentive program by imposing a one-time tax on the purchase of vehicles that are not zero-emission vehicles. Referred to WAM but not heard.

HB1140 - Prohibits the issuance of certain new residential multi-family and commercial building application permits and new state building application permits initiated on or after January 1, 2022, unless the building's parking stalls are electric vehicle charger ready. Referred to CPC but not heard.

HB1141 - Requires certain rental motor vehicle lessors to expedite the incorporation of one hundred percent zero-emission vehicles into the lessor's fleet by 7/1/2035. Referred to CPC but not heard.