Electric vehicles hit 10,000 milestone in Hawaii
Electric vehicles hit a milestone in Hawaii last month as the number of registered electric vehicles (EVs) in Hawaii reached 10,000.
To honor the milestone, Drive Electric Hawaii formed a partnership with The Car Parlor to give free car washes to all EV drivers on Oct. 10. Also, other car wash companies in the state are offering $10 car washes for EV drivers from Oct. 10 to Nov. 10. To get the discount, EV drivers must download a coupon from the Drive Electric Hawaii website to present at participating locations.
Participating locations include: The Car Parlor, 1111 Kapiolani Blvd., Honolulu; McKinley Car Wash, 1139 Kapiolani Blvd., Honolulu; Hilo Express Car Wash, 1089 Kilauea Ave., Hilo; Kona Express Car Wash, 75-5570 Kuakini Hwy.; Kailua-Kona; and Wash It Hawaii, 1203 Keawe St., Lahaina, Maui.
“One of the best ways to minimize the effect washing a car has on the environment is to use a commercial car wash, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,” Judy Kim-Sugita, owner and operator of The Car Parlor, said. “Many commercial car washes use less than half of what the average person uses to wash a vehicle at home, most locations reuse wash water several times.”
As of Sept. 19, the number of registered EV drivers in the state was 10,003 — an increase of 2,205 vehicles (28.3 percent) from September last year.
“Hawaiian Electric’s Electrification of Transportation (EoT) Strategic Roadmap details how the increased adoption of EVs will allow us to integrate even more renewables into our grid by encouraging EV charging during periods of the day when solar energy is abundant,” Jimmy Yao, director, electrification of transportation, at Hawaiian Electric Company, said. “Our Electric Vehicle Critical Backbone Study will help to identify areas where public EV charging options can create a critical backbone’ to support EV-driving commuters and tourists and help optimize operation of the electric grid.”
Drive Electric Hawaii is a coalition of public, private, and nonprofit organizations that includes Blue Planet Foundation, the four island counties, Hawaiian Electric Companies, Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, Rocky Mountain Institute, Hawaii State Energy Office, Hawaii State Department of Transportation, State Division of Consumer Advocacy, and Ulupon.
“EVs are a key part of breaking down barriers to transformative clean transportation options and policies that reduce the use of petroleum for getting around,” Lauren Reichelt, who directs Blue Planet Foundation’s clean transportation programs and serves as the Clean Cities coordinator for the Sustainable Transportation Coalition of Hawaii, said.
