An excerpt from an editorial in the Star Advertiser today re: EVs.. hints at what's coming in the future and the next legislative session
Promote use of EVs on isle roads
Boosting the ownership further will take continued support from the marketplace. Dave Rolf, the executive director of the Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association, said his industry already has significant buy-in with the technology. More than half the dealerships now sell EVs, he said. Raising public awareness of federal tax credits, free parking and other inducements, customer interest should prompt more dealers to do the same.
Additionally, advocacy groups like Blue Planet Foundation are seeking federal funds to establish a carsharing network of EVs. These are cars available for short rentals, positioned at strategic commuting destinations. This would expand EV use to those currently unable to buy their own cars.
Meanwhile, increasing the number of EV charging stations to match the growth of EVs is a significant challenge.
Hawaiian Electric Industries plans to have 11 “fast charge” stations installed statewide by year’s end, with 25 installed by early 2018, said HEI spokesman Peter Rosegg. Positioning these stations near places like condos and apartment buildings will make an EV seem like a more practical purchase for those who don’t live in single-family homes equipped with individual charging outlets.
Charging stations can be expensive to install in public parking lots, said state Rep. Chris Lee, who chairs the House energy committee, because retrofitting the higher-power variations can require cutting through concrete and making costly electrical upgrades to older facilities.
Lee plans to propose expanding the number of required EV charging stalls — now one for every 100 in a public lot. He acknowledged that the rule has not been enforced, but it’s still a good idea, encouraging property owners to think of this as something that will become expected customer service in the future. When customers start to go elsewhere, enforcement won’t be an issue.
What may help, he said, is the advance of portable recharging stations, comprising repurposed battery units. The units can be recharged slowly using standard electrical outlets and be available for quick discharging into a parked EV.