As the country celebrates National Drive Electric Week Hawaiian Electric is pleased to announce the addition of a new electric vehicle fast charging site at the Bishop Museum and two more that will be opening soon at other locations on Oahu.
With the addition of the three new charging sites Hawaiian Electric will own and operate 32 fast chargers at 28 locations across Oahu, Maui, Molokai and Hawaii island.
National Drive Electric Week, which runs through Sunday, features hundreds of events across the country aimed at raising awareness of the benefits of all-electric and plug-in hybrid cars, trucks, buses and motorcycles. Launched 11 years ago, National Drive Electric Week now boasts 278 events in 48 states, the District of Columbia, Canada and Mexico.
The Bishop Museum location hosts two fast chargers that can provide about 40 miles of range for a typical EV in 15 minutes. The chargers feature an artistic vinyl wrap with a Hawaii-themed renewable energy motif created by local husband and wife art duo Matthew and Roxanne Ortiz, who collaborate under the name, Wooden Wave.
Next up is the Waikiki-Kapahulu Library, where a single fast charger will be available in the latter half of October. It's the company's first fast charger installed at a public library. Hawaiian Electric is scheduled to open another charging site later this year at the Kailua Town Center. A map of Hawaiian Electric fast chargers and rates are available on the Hawaiian Electric website.
"National Drive Electric Week is a great opportunity to celebrate the progress we've made in electric vehicle charging and think about the challenges that lie ahead," said Aki Marceau, Hawaiian Electric's director of electrification of transportation. "One of our priorities as we make this transition is to ensure public charging stations are reliable, convenient, and accessible to everyone while being compatible with each community."
Hawaiian Electric is seeking regulatory approval to significantly expand its charging network to help Hawaii meet its decarbonization goals. The plan calls for 150 single-port fast chargers and 150 dual-port Level 2 chargers at 75 sites across five islands with a new, lower rate structure.
In addition to expanding public charging, Hawaiian Electric is piloting "make-ready" programs that will reduce the upfront cost of installing EV charging equipment for bus fleet operators and commercial properties like shops, businesses, apartment buildings and office buildings.
