Hawaiian Electric Co. is pushing for more electric vehicles to build
the utility’s customer base and make way for additional rooftop solar.
“Hawaii should be the EV capital of the world,” said Alan Oshima,
HECO president and CEO, in an editorial board meeting with the Honolulu
Star-Advertiser on Tuesday. The high price of gasoline in the islands
and the short distances, especially on Oahu, make Hawaii an ideal
location for the expansion of electric vehicles.
HECO is working to increase EV adoption by installing electric
vehicle charging stations and partnering with the city to add electric
buses. Oshima said HECO is also in talks with the military to get more
electric vehicles and charging stations on Hawaii bases.
HECO’s campaign for more EV adoption comes amid a rapid growth in
sales of electric cars, albeit from a small base. In February there were
4,209 registered electric vehicles in the state, up 26 percent from a
year ago.
More than 100 Hawaii residents lined up at a Tesla Motors office in
Waipahu last week and paid $1,000 to reserve the company’s latest
electric car. The Tesla Model 3 sedan, which will be available late
2017, starts at $35,000 before state and federal incentives.
“Telsa’s launch of the Model 3 validates that things are changing,”
said Richard Wallsgrove, program director at Blue Planet Foundation. “I
really feel like we’re at an inflection point.”
HECO predicts there will be 388,500 electric vehicles on Hawaii’s
roads by 2045. There are about 1 million vehicles registered in Hawaii.
Increased use of EVs gives electrical utilities a new market and
could help replace lost demand due to rooftop solar and greater energy
efficiency.
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