Hawaii is a Perfect Place for EVs

Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming popular in Hawaii, with more residents enjoying their lower operating and maintenance costs, clean air, and environmental benefits. The State now has over 33,000 registered EVs, with a year-over-year growth rate of around 25%. With several affordable 200+-mile EVs, generous rebates available for many buyers, many vehicle types, and lower fueling and maintenance costs, many are driving EVs.

While key ownership concerns have largely been addressed, our public charging infrastructure remains a key barrier to the broader adoption of EVs. Part of the concern is the perception that a robust public charging network is critical to EV ownership. The reality is that access to EV chargers is not an issue for many Hawaii residents, as most have relatively short commutes and access to home charging.

“The reality is that access to EV chargers is not an issue for many Hawaii residents, as most have relatively short commutes and access to home charging. ”

Charging at Home

EV owners with access to an electric outlet or charging equipment at home can easily keep their EVs charged. This simple task involves plugging the vehicle upon parking and unplugging it before driving off.

EVs are generally sold with a mobile connector—a device that plugs into a 120v or 240v outlet and connects to the vehicle. Many EV owners rely on mobile connectors to keep their EVs charged. Owners who drive less than 50 miles daily can even rely on a 120v outlet.

An alternative is a dedicated Level 2 wall charger which can be plugged into a 240v outlet or hard-wired. A Level 2 charger can deliver about 25 miles of charge per hour and top off a large EV battery overnight.

Public Charging for Equitable Adoption

Of course, not everyone has access to home charging. Drivers living in apartments and condos must rely on public EV chargers. Even those with access to home charging may occasionally need to access a public charger for long commutes. Public EV chargers are essential for visitors wishing to rent an electric vehicle during their stay.

These drivers need a reliable network of Level 1 (120v), Level 2 (240v), and DC Fast Chargers (480v or more) stations. DC

Fast Chargers can replenish about 50 miles of range every 15 minutes, making quick top-offs a reality.

Level 2 charging stations are slower but are ideal at grocery stores, malls, and other venues where lingering for an hour or more is expected.

Level 1 (110v) charging is slower but valuable in long-term parking facilities and workplaces.

This chart summarizes charging speeds by category, courtesy of Plug In America.

Public EV Charging in Hawaii

Plugshare.com offers a view of charger locations across Hawaii. It also includes information about each station and insight into its state of repair based on recent check-ins and reviews by EV drivers. The data highlights the state's public charging infrastructure challenges: large areas lack public chargers and a shortage of DC fast charging stations. For example, the Kau region of Hawaii Island has two public charging stations, while the island of Kauai does not have DC Fast Chargers.

A deeper look into the various public chargers reveals some stations in disrepair. Some have been inoperable for years, and operators have had to deal with supply chain and manufacturer issues, leading to extended downtime. Some station owners have neglected their equipment or have been constrained by actual or perceived budget constraints. For example, the Home Depot in Hilo has had a broken charging station for over five years. Hawaiian Electric (HECO), a leader in transportation electrification, has had to deal with parts and supply issues for their DC Fast Chargers as the equipment manufacturer ran into financial trouble in 2020. This has led to long repair cycles and performance issues.

Despite these challenges, the public and private sectors are making significant progress in improving the public charging infrastructure in Hawaii.

The State is Boosting Public Charging

The Hawaii Department of Transportation (DOT) is taking a big step by installing eleven National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) hubs across the State. Each hub will have four 150 kW DC Fast Chargers – forty-four fast charging stations. These charging stations will replenish an EV up to 100 miles in 15 minutes!

Here are the planned locations for Hawaii's NEVI hubs:

Hawaii Island - Hilo, Waimea, Kona, Ocean View, and Volcano
Maui - Kahului (already deployed) and Kapalua
Oahu - Honolulu and Mililani
Kauai - Princeville and a second, yet-to-be-finalized location.

The DOT has also been aggressively installing DC Fast Chargers and Level 2 chargers at its facilities to support its growing fleet of EVs—trucks, SUVs, and sedans. It is also working to install new charging equipment at the airports. These will support rental EVs, ride-shares, and the public.

Counties are Supporting Public Charging

County governments have also taken steps to deploy and expand their charging infrastructure, encourage the deployment of commercial charging stations, and are actively engaged in leveraging federal funding opportunities to develop public charging.

Hawaii County is installing twenty-two new Level 2 charging ports at its Hilo and Kona offices. It also manages charging stations at three Parks and Recreation facilities and plans to add more.

Hawaii County's recently updated building code requires installing Level 2 charging equipment at new parking facilities with 50 or more slots. (Each 50-stall increment must include two dual-port Level 2 chargers.) This code enforces HRS 291-71, a state law requiring the installation of EV chargers in large public parking lots.

Maui County's plans include deploying fourteen new Level 2 charging stations across Maui and Molokai.

The City and County of Honolulu

City and State goals for vehicle electrification imply the need for thousands of public EV chargers on Oʻahu in the next decade to meet growing demand from the public. These will be built by HECO, State and local government, and the private sector. In line with the City's Climate Action Plan, the City is tripling the number of public chargers available from 2020-2025, going from roughly 10 to 30, and concurrently working to put a comprehensive charger maintenance system in place. The City is still early in the process of building out the charging infrastructure and acknowledges the importance of a ubiquitous charging network in enabling broader EV adoption.

Some key City actions include:

EV-Ready provisions for new construction or major facility renovation projects. The City has passed both internal and public-facing policies that require "EV-ready" when major improvements are being undertaken. This greatly reduces cost and expands future charging capacity with lower effort.
Increasing the City’s capacity for building chargers by partnering, improving processes, and accessing federal funds.
Collaborating with Hawaiian Electric, the State, and other partners to coordinate and streamline the buildout of needed infrastructure.

The County of Kauai owns and operates fifteen Level 2 public electric vehicle charging stations at the Lihue Civic Center that are currently free for the public. The County has two future EV charger projects on the books, with plans for DC Fast Chargers in Kapaa, Lihue, and Koloa, using congressionally directed spending awarded from Senator Schatz and Senator Hirono, as well as plans for Level 2 chargers at the new Lima Ola Affordable Housing Development in Eleele, using federal formula funding from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant.

The County of Kauai provides business owners guidance about installing charging stations. It also shares incentives available to install public chargers from the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC), Hawaii Energy, and the federal government.

Utilities are Charging Ahead

Hawaiian Electric is also working to improve its charging station network on Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii Island. The company is replacing many existing equipment with new DC Fast Chargers and doubling chargers in some locations. According to their current DC Fast Charger upgrade plan, they have already replaced two stations in Honolulu, and several projects are planned for deployment by the end of 2024. Details of HECO's upgrade plan can be found at hawaiianelectric.com/products-and-services/electric-vehicles/fast-charging/ev-charging-stations-upgrade-timeline.

Their current schedule for upcoming upgrades:

The company also plans to install 150 new DC Fast Charger ports and 150 dual-port Level 2 chargers as part of a project before the PUC. Details of the PUC docket are available here.

On Kauai, the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative operates two dual-port Level 2 charging stations at two office locations. It also provides generous rebates for installing residential and commercial Level 2 stations and is working with County and State efforts to deploy Level 2 and DC Fast Chargers. More information on their programs can be found at kiuc.coop/ev.

Commercial Property Owners Can Do More

Government and utility efforts alone cannot completely address the public charging infrastructure needs. According to HECO, its plan to install 150 DC Fast Chargers and 300 Level 2 ports will fall short of what's required to meet the needs of local and visiting drivers in its service territory. The company estimates that its expansion proposal will only cover 28% of the 2030 DC Fast Charger and 10% of the Level 2 Charger need.

Commercial property owners, condo associations, and local employers have taken steps to expand Hawaii's public charging infrastructure. Many of the public charging stations are located at local stores, hotels, condos, and places of work.

Tesla is a notable provider of DC Fast Chargers. Its Superchargers are fast - they can deliver up to 250 kW. Tesla has deployed eighteen Superchargers on Oahu — six at the Pearlridge Shopping Center and twelve at the Kahala Resort. An additional twelve stations are under construction at Bayview Golf Course in Kaneohe.

More public charging stations must be deployed, particularly at condos and apartments. Property owners have an unprecedented opportunity to use many funding programs to offset the cost of installing and operating charging stations.

Hawaii Energy offers generous rebates for installing Level 2 stations (up to $4500 per station) and DC Fast Chargers (up to $35,000).
KIUC is encouraging the implementation of residential and commercial Level 2 charging equipment with generous rebates - up to $10,000 for commercial chargers. These can be combined with the Hawaii Energy rebates.
Federal tax credits, up to $100,000 for some installations, also help further reduce the cost of deploying charging infrastructure.

These incentives will help replace broken chargers and install new Level 2 and DC Fast Chargers. They also allow property owners to deliver a critical service to customers, tenants, and employees.

EVs are playing an important role in our clean energy transition.

Hawaii's transition to a clean, sustainable energy future heavily depends on transforming its transportation sector. This transformation will require action on several fronts:

Reducing vehicle miles traveled, i.e., minimizing the need for passenger cars, improving mass transit adoption, increasing opportunities for safe, active transport, and building commute-free communities.
Shifting to renewable and sustainable energy for electricity generation.
Decarbonizing our transportation system. For ground transportation, this means transitioning to EVs.

EVs are up to three times more efficient than internal combustion vehicles, are powered by increasingly renewable electricity, and cost less to operate and maintain than traditional vehicles. By transitioning to EVs, residents enable Hawaii's independence from price-volatile imported energy, reduce transportation costs, improve the local environment, and reduce planet-warming emissions.

Many in Hawaii benefit from EVs, and many more can, even with the existing public charging network. Hawaii's short commute distances and the availability of affordable long-range EVs allow many to own and operate one comfortably.

Of course, Hawaii's public EV charging network must expand to enable broader and more equitable EV adoption. Thankfully, the number and quality of charging stations are already poised to increase dramatically. Many DC Fast Charger and Level 2 projects are already under development, and many more will come, fueled by generous rebates, federal incentives, and customer demand.

These public charging stations will supplement the hundreds of thousands of charge points in garages and carports statewide.

Hawaii is a great place to own and operate an EV.