STATE ELECTRIC VEHICLE PROGRAM HITS MILESTONE

For Immediate Release: March 29, 2012

HONOLULU – The state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism has announced the installation of more than 200 new electric vehicle charging stations at over 80 locations statewide, placing Hawaii in the national forefront for the deployment of public charging stations.

The new stations, made possible by $2.6 million in federal stimulus funding, will also include six fast-charging units that allow owners of Nissan Leafs, Mitsubishi I-MiEV and other plug-in EVs to re-charge their vehicles in less than 30 minutes.

By providing easy access at local parking garages, shopping centers, hotels and other attractions, the new chargers are helping Hawaii meet the demands of its growing electric vehicle market, reduce electric vehicle owners’ range anxiety when driving over long distances and will help reduce the state’s dependence on foreign oil.

“This makes owning an EV in Hawaii a real option for regular folks. We are now the leader in charging stations per person and this will create a market for clean cars,” said Lt. Governor Brian Schatz.

Details of the new charging equipment are among the highlights of this week’s First Hawaiian International Auto Show at the Hawaii Convention Center.

The new, publicly accessible chargers are being installed by private companies, Kauai County and the City and County of Honolulu, which were awarded more than $2.6 million last year by DBEDT’s EV Ready Grant Program. The developers include:

  • AeroVironment, a leader in the EV industry, which is 75 charging stations in the islands. The Monrovia, Calif.-based company, which began working in Hawaii about a decade ago, also plans to install six, 480-volt fast charging stations around the state;
  • Better Place, another global pioneer in the EV space, launched its Hawaii  Charge Spots in February. The Palo Alto-based company now has about 140 charging stations on Oahu, Maui, Kauai and the Big Island in operation;
  • GreenCar Hawaii now has two chargers in Waikiki and plans to install others on Kauai;
  • The City and County of Honolulu also plans to deploy eight chargers at several city parking facilities, including the Honolulu Zoo and Neal Blaisdell Center; and,
  • Kauai County, which now has five stations online.

The nation’s EV structure is a fast-changing market that continues to develop rapidly around the country. But when you include the new 200 charger stations, Hawaii becomes the nation’s leader on a per-capita basis for public EV charging availability. The state will have one charging station for every 5,500 residents.

Oregon, which has the next highest ratio, has one charger for every 10,000 residents, followed by Washington where ratio is one charger for every 11,800 residents, according to figures provided by the U.S. Energy Department.

Launched in March 2011, DBEDT’s EV Ready Grant Program, is part of the Transportation Energy Diversification Project, which is supported by funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

The grant program complements the state’s EV Ready Rebate Program, which provides state incentives of up to $4,500 toward the purchase of new EVs and up to $500 for EV charging equipment.

A list of the publicly available EV charging stations in Hawaii can be found on the Charging Station Database at the State Energy Office’s website. (See: electricvehicle.hawaii.gov.)

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For more information, contact:

Mark Glick
Energy Program Administrator
DBEDT’s State Energy Office
Phone: (808) 587-3812

Rick Daysog
Communications Officer
DBEDT’s State Energy Office
Phone: (808) 587-9006

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