• Make it personal - if you have relevant personal experience, include in the testimony.

• Include information to emphasize your point of view. Check out the talking points listed below for ideas. Rephrase the points into your own words.

• Include your position on the matter at the start and end of your testimony.

• If you don’t have time, you can add a simple sentence that communicates your perspective, e.g., "I strongly support HB…..”

• Review previously submitted testimony for inspiration. We will publish our testimony
  

• Having more electric vehicles and fewer gas-powered vehicles on our streets will help us reach our climate goals, especially with a renewable energy grid.

• Electric vehicles have lower lifetime ownership costs because they are so much more efficient than internal combustion vehicles and have lower fueling and maintenance costs. A Consumer Reports study “shows that fuel savings alone can be $4,700 or more over the first seven years.” (https://www.consumerreports.org/hybrids-evs/evs-offer-big-savings-over-traditional-gas-powered-cars/)

• Switching to electric vehicles is one of the biggest actions we can take to reduce our dependence on oil and cut dangerous air pollution.

• Analysts have forecasted exponential EV growth as more models come to market, including pickup trucks and SUVs. We need to plan and ensure that public charging infrastructure will support this growth.

• Electric cars are the future of personal vehicles – they’re more efficient than conventional gasoline options, cost far less to operate, and enable significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

• EVs are cheaper to maintain, as they require no oil changes, and the electric motor and drivetrain have about 20 moving parts versus 1000+ in a gasoline-powered car. There’s no engine, transmission, spark plugs, valves, fuel tank, fuel pump, tailpipe, distributor, starter, clutch, muffler, or catalytic converter.

• Each year in the US, we burn roughly 121 billion gallons of oil in our passenger cars and trucks.

• Hawaii burns about 30 million gallons of gasoline each month.

• To reach Hawaii’s sustainable transportation and climate goals, we must electrify ground transportation on our islands as soon as possible.

• Thankfully, automakers are heeding the demand for zero-emission vehicles and are providing consumers with choice and affordability.

• To slow down climate change and sea level rise, we need to decarbonize.
  We need to accelerate the decarbonization of our transportation sector! Transportation accounts for a significant part of the globe’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Additional Resources:

• Hawaii EV - EV Benefits - https://hawaiiev.org/ev-benefits

• Hawaii EV - Environmental Benefits - https://hawaiiev.org/environment

• How Green is My Car? https://hawaiiev.org/blog/how-green-is-my-car

• Battery electric most efficient by far - https://cleantechnica.com/2020/06/10/this-stunning-chart-shows-why-battery-electric-vehicles-win/

• As we transition away from gas vehicles, we need to ensure that low-moderate-income households can participate. We must be sensitive to their economic concerns, specifically their capacity to purchase EVs and charging equipment.

• Consider the impact of policy on people who depend on their vehicles for their livelihoods, those who have long commutes to get to work, and those who don’t have the means to transition to an EV at this time.

• Strategies that allow for the democratization of clean transportation include:
  Encouragement of the sale of affordable EVs. This includes new and pre-owned.

  Vehicle and charger purchase incentives for low-moderate income households. For example, introduce a household income cap for incentives.

  
  Allow leases and pre-owned vehicles to be part of any rebate program.
  

  Allow for purchase rebates vs. tax credits. Low-moderate income households may not have the tax liabilities to benefit from credits.

  Optimize public charging. The infrastructure must consider local demographics and access (or lack of access) to home-based charging. Chargers need to be located in places that support critical commute corridors.

  Support mass transit. This is an essential solution as it will help us reduce the need for personal cars. For this to be successful, we need to support efforts to address effective “first and last mile” coverage. This refers to transportation to bus stations and from bus stations to final destinations.
  

• Adequate public charging is a MUST for the democratization of transportation. While many in our community benefit from home EV charging, many of our residents live in apartments, condos, or rentals and don’t have this convenience. To adopt electric cars, they must have access to a reliable and ubiquitous public charging network.

• Public charging is also critical for the rental EV market. Visitors will be inclined to rent EVs if assured of a generous and reliable Level 2 and DC Fast Chargers network.
  

• Diesel exhaust is filled with particles and gases that are toxic and carcinogenic. Air pollution associated with the burning of fossil fuels contributes to significant death across the globe.

• Today’s school transportation fleet exposes our kids to these dangerous exhaust fumes as they are transported to and from school. We must stop exposing our young bus riders and bus drivers to this air pollution and to do so with urgency.

• Electric buses will also allow for a lower total cost of ownership for bus fleet operators. These buses have moving parts and are easier to maintain than internal combustion engine buses. In the long run, electric buses are more economical than diesel ones. There are other counties in the nation that have already transitioned their school bus fleet or are in the process of doing so.

Additional Resources:

• Diesel Exhaust and Cancer - cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/diesel-exhaust-and-cancer.html

• Fossil Fuels Kill Nearly 9 Million Annually, More Than Twice Previous Estimate, Study Finds - ecowatch.com/fossil-fuels-air-pollution-deaths-2650416201.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1

• Electric buses for mass transit seen as cost-effective - publicpower.org//periodical/article/electric-buses-mass-transit-seen-cost-effective

• Miami-Dade Starts Transition to Electric School Bus Fleet - cleantechnica.com/2021/01/18/miami-dade-starts-transition-to-electric-school-bus-fleet/

• Incentives are an effective means to increase EV adoption.

• More Americans (typically 56%) buy used light-duty vehicles (cars, pickup trucks, SUVs) than new vehicles. Used vehicles are more likely to be purchased by lower-income households

• With the average new car lease lasting three years, the used EV market is expanding.

• Providing an EV incentive at the point of sale eliminates a car buyer’s uncertainty over whether they will ultimately qualify for a tax credit.

Additional Resources

• Data on State ZEV Programs - https://energycenter.org/sites/default/files/docs/nav/transportation/cvrp/presentations/2021-07_Williams-CSE_Collab-for-ZEV-Success_handout.pdf

• How to Make EVs Affordable to More Consumers -
  https://energycenter.org/thought-leadership/blog/how-make-evs-affordable-more-consumers