STATE ENERGY OFFICE UNVEILS NEW GUIDEBOOK FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATION INSTALLATIONS

For Immediate Release: October 3, 2012

HONOLULU — The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism’s (DBEDT) State Energy Office has released a new guidebook designed to be a resource for commercial properties interested in installing an electric vehicle (EV) charging station.

Called “Hawaii EV Ready Guidebook for Commercial Electric Vehicle Charging Station Installations,” the free guide is available online at the State Energy Office’s website (electricvehicle.hawaii.gov) and on Plug In America’s website (www.pluginamerica.org/hawaii_ev_ready_guidebook).

“This guidebook is an example of Hawaii’s continued leadership in vehicle electrification, which plays a role in Governor Abercrombie’s New Day initiative to further enable renewable energy use and meet our energy goals,” said Richard Lim, Director of DBEDT. “It is one of the many tools our State Energy Office provides to those interested in tapping into Hawaii’s EV market.”

The guidebook serves as an introduction for installing and hosting EV charging stations at retail stores, hotels, businesses and multiple-use dwellings (i.e., apartments, townhouses and condominiums), as well as both privately- and publicly-owned parking lots.

“The guide illustrates a logically planned process that can result in successful charging installations to meet the needs of Hawaii’s EV drivers and property owners,” said Mark Glick, Energy Administrator of the State Energy Office. “This type of investment is vital to helping the State reach our goal of 70 percent clean energy by 2030.”

The guide was produced by Plug In America, which was awarded $50,000 last year by DBEDT’s EV Ready Grant Program. Plug In America was one of six EV Ready grant recipients announced in March 2011 with a goal to accelerate Hawaii’s adoption of EVs and related charging equipment.

“We are proud to have developed a comprehensive resource to help further the growth of the electric vehicle sector in Hawaii,” said Dan Davids, Board Chairman and Project Manager for Plug In America. “We are particularly pleased that our Hawaii guidebook contains the very latest industry best practices across a range of topics, including signage, accessibility, and charging business models.”

The grants, provided through DBEDT’s EV Ready Grant Program, is helping to contribute to the state’s energy goal of 70 percent clean energy by 2030 by reducing consumption of imported petroleum fuels for ground transportation. 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).

For more information on Hawaii’s EV programs, including a statewide database of installed public EV charging locations, please visit electricvehicle.hawaii.gov.

About Plug In America
Plug In America is the preeminent advocacy organization leading the plug-in vehicle movement. The nonprofit organization works to accelerate the shift to plug-in vehicles powered by clean, affordable, domestic electricity to reduce our nation’s dependence on petroleum and improve the global environment. For more information: https://www.pluginamerica.org.

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For more information, contact:

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

Noreen Kam
Communications Officer
DBEDT’s State Energy Office
Phone: (808) 587-3860

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