Department of Transportation

HONOLULU – Following President Biden’s announcement of the approval of all states’ Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment plans on Tuesday, HDOT will kick off the implementation of its plan.  The plan is available on the HDOT website: https://hidot.hawaii.gov/highways/hawaii-nevi-state-plan/

The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) is a new program under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act/Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed last November.

The federal government has set a standard for electric vehicle infrastructure for all states, and the first phase of the program requires that one fast charger must be installed at 50-mile intervals along and within one-mile of all Hawai‘i’s highways.

Through NEVI, HDOT expects about $6.1 million in the first two years of this five-year program.  The program goal is the installation of a reliable and convenient network of fast chargers for electric vehicles across the state.  The chargers will be able to provide a full charge to four cars simultaneously within 20 minutes.

“Hawai‘i ranks highest among states in the adoption of electric vehicles,” said Ed Sniffen, Deputy Director of the Highways Division. “Through this program we will fill gaps in the state’s charging network to make owning electric vehicles cost effective and charging more convenient to support conversion in line with our aggressive state goals.”

The approved plan calls for the installation of 11 chargers on six islands.  HDOT is already discussing placement of the chargers with partners like state and county agencies, the local power companies, and owners of commercial centers.  A key part of the plan is community engagement to ensure the chargers are strategically placed so they are accessible and safe, and they do not cause negative impacts to neighborhoods. Once those 11 chargers are in place, HDOT will update its plan to add charging stations to the other corridors and community locations.

Over the next three months, HDOT will finalize the selection of the first three sites, complete work to prepare the sites, and order the charging equipment.  HDOT plans to work with its existing contractor, Sustainability Partners, to purchase, operate, and maintain the chargers.

Updates on the plan implementation and schedules for community meetings will be posted on the HDOT website.

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