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Hawaii EV’s curated list of EV-related news content…
May 12, 2022 - Electric Vehicles Are On The Rise In Hawaii. Can Charging Infrastructure Keep Up? (Civil Beat)
“Many Hawaii residents living in apartment buildings and other multi-family dwellings lack direct access to electric vehicle charging stations.
About once a month, Dennis Leonetti wakes up around 4 a.m. to make the 12-mile drive from his Waikiki apartment to Pearlridge Center to plug in his Tesla.
The shopping mall parking lot is currently the only place in the state with a set of Tesla Superchargers, capable of adding 200 miles of range to his Model Y in no more than 15 minutes. His apartment complex lacks its own charging station, he said, and he relies on publicly available ports to charge his car.
“There’s nothing wrong with Pearlridge,” he said. “But you have to drive to get there.”
Leonetti’s trek speaks to a growing problem facing electric car owners in Hawaii. As more and more drivers in the state make the switch to electric vehicles, or so-called EVs, managers from townhouses to high rises are dealing with requests to install charging stations in their parking structures. But costly regulations, infrastructure barriers and lengthy permitting processes have delayed many buildings from installing these chargers, slowing the EV adoption rate.”
May 11, 2022 - Amid the clean energy push, experts worry some will be left behind (Maui News)
“As Hawaii races toward electrification, one critical piece to the puzzle of reducing carbon emissions, some communities feel like they can’t keep up.
The state has set a goal of reaching net zero energy, or having 100 percent of its electricity using clean renewable energy sources, by the year 2045, and the largest culprit of greenhouse emissions is coming from the transportation sector, such as cars, ships, airplanes and public transit.
During the first day of the 9th annual Hawaii Energy Conference on Tuesday, panelists discussed ways to reach electrification without burdening the people.
“A key reason for my advocacy is climate change,” Noel Morin, president and founder of the Hawaii Electric Vehicle Association said. “These issues are disproportionately impacting the poor and underprivileged communities and they are also the least capable of adopting some of the much-needed solutions.”
Some of these solutions come from swapping gasoline for electricity. There are more than a million cars and trucks in Hawaii, burning more than 30 million gallons of gasoline each month, Morin said, which contributes “significantly to emission and local pollution.”
“I should stress as well that since gas cars are only 25 percent efficient, our residents also waste a lot of energy and money, since most of the fuel that goes into our gas cars is lost as heat,” he added.
There are changes that can be made to driving habits that can mitigate climate impacts, such as carpooling, implementing a net-zero public transportation system or investing in a full or hybrid electric vehicle, which is 80 percent efficient and can save up to $4,600 over its lifespan compared to gas cars, Morin said.
“There are manufacturers saying that they will be phasing out gas cars in the future. There’s this pressure toward electrification in coming up with models and different points so that different needs are going to be met,” Morin said. “As we know with competition, we will see price points coming down. It’s hard to see right now because the prices of everything are up.”
Still, education, funding and resources are needed to mitigate inequities among communities who have not been able to benefit from the green technology movement.
“Like everything in the energy ecosystem, this is going to take all of us together to make this happen,” said Jim Kelly, vice president of government and community relations and corporate communications for Hawaiian Electric.“
May 11, 2022 - What Russia’s Ukraine Invasion Tells Us About Hawaii’s Resiliency (Civil Beat)
Russia’s unjustified and illegal invasion of Ukraine has caused upheavals around the world, including in energy and food markets. Russia normally produces about 10% of the world’s oil and exports much of that to Europe and a little to the U.S. […]
What should we do here in Hawaii in light of this latest crisis, amid the certainty that this is far from the last crisis we’ll face?
We offer here a few ideas for how the Big Island and the state of Hawaii more generally, could respond proactively to the vast increase in energy and food prices and the uncertainties they bring to make our islands less vulnerable to global issues. []
Accelerate Clean Transportation
Reducing vehicle miles traveled through smart city planning, bike lanes, more walking paths, etc., is a key way to clean up transportation and make us more resilient and healthy.
Dramatically ramp up installation of public chargers — and ensure their continued maintenance and operation over time.
This year, a bill was proposed that would revive the expired state EV rebate for moderate and low-income households, but, unfortunately, it did not make it into law. With strong public support, it could get through next year….”
November 1, 2021 – Hawaiian Electric seeks major expansion of public EV charging network to answer demand, speed growth
”Hawaiian Electric is seeking to expand its public electric vehicle charger network and implement lower EV charging rates as part of the company’s ongoing effort to help Hawaii achieve its decarbonization goals. The company is asking the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to approve its proposed Public Electric Vehicle Charger Expansion Project.
The proposed project is the most significant EV charging initiative undertaken by Hawaiian Electric. It builds on the company’s experience from providing public fast charging for more than seven years under a pilot program approved by the PUC. In that time, the EV market in Hawaii has grown markedly, creating a need for more charging stations to meet demand. And every major global vehicle manufacturer, including Ford, General Motors, Volkswagen and Jaguar, has announced plans to transition a large share of their products to electric over the next decade.” More.
August 31, 2021 - Hawaiian Electric launches ‘Charge Up Hawaii’ webtool to gather customer input on EV charging, mobility needs
“Hawaiian Electric launched Charge Up Hawaii, an interactive webtool to better understand customers’ mobility needs and see where they think electric vehicle charging stations are needed in their communities.
Charge Up Hawaii, built on a story map platform, features a short survey and an interactive map where visitors can drop a pin to suggest a location for a future EV charging station. Charge Up Hawaii also includes an overview of efforts underway to electrify transportation in Hawaii and links to informative videos, articles and websites. Visitors to the site who complete the survey will be eligible to participate in a $100 gift card raffle.” More…