With a total of 7,650 registered electric vehicles as of August 2018, EV adoption in Hawaii has been nothing short of revolutionary. Even as overall growth in the industry has been pretty flat, EV purchases has witnessed a hike of 23.1% compared to previous year’s figures. So, what is Hawaii doing right?
First, let’s see what the government is doing to promote EV adoption in the state:
- As of 2012, Hawaii has mandated that for every 100 parking spaces, public-access facilities must have at least one space dedicated to EVs. If any non-EV is found parked in this space, the driver is fined between $50 and $100.
- A new Hawaii bill has already proposed to increase the reserved EV parking space to two per 100 by 2023.
- This new bill also asks for facilities to have at least one EV charging station installed anywhere on their premises. (Of course, having a dual Level 2 charging station like EV Meter would mean that two cars would be simultaneously able to get juice from one station!)
- A violation would mean that landowners could be fined $200 for every day they do not conform to the law.
But government alone cannot do everything; a lot depends on the people’s wishes and drivers’ habits as well. So, earlier this year, an Ulupono-commissioned survey targeted tourists to figure out what Hawaii’s biggest highway users wanted. An overwhelming 56% said that they would have liked to rent an EV! Considering Hawaii gets 10 million visitors annually, meeting even a fraction of this demand would go a long way in helping the state meet its green goals.
That said, Hawaii still lacks a robust charging network. In an earlier survey by Ulupono, 71% EV drivers said their parking locations were dependent on the availability of EV charging stations, with 73% asserting they frequented establishments which had EV charging stations installed. Workplaces were recognized as a major area lacking sufficient charging stations.
So, while the state does its bit to further the EV revolution in Hawaii, a major onus now falls on proprietors to make their establishments more EV-friendly. And why not? EV charging stations basically pay for themselves because operators can charge users for the services. Further, charging stations like EV Meter come with unique advertising opportunities to augment the revenue stream for the operators. To learn more about why you should install EV Meter Level 2 electric charging station with credit card payment facility at your business, contact us here.
