By Staff Report
(Honolulu) – Hawaiian Electric Company, in partnership with host Castle & Cooke Properties, Inc., has opened the first utility-owned and operated DC Fast Charger for electric vehicles on O‘ahu at Dole Plantation in Wahiawa.
The fast charger will help eliminate “range anxiety” for residents and visitors driving EVs to or from the North Shore. Using a fast charger, a near-depleted battery can be recharged to 80 percent capacity in 30 minutes, less for smaller recharges. Drivers will be able to safely operate the charger and pay by credit card or by smartphone app with an OpConnect subscription.
A fast charging session will cost $6.50 during most of the day; slightly more during times of peak electric use. Session prices may change based on the changing cost of electricity. Information on charging, including the current price, will be available at www.hawaiianelectric.com/goev.
“At the Hawaiian Electric Companies, we believe we can make a major contribution to accelerating the use of electric vehicles by providing public charging infrastructure so drivers always have the peace of mind knowing they can quickly top off,” said Jim Alberts, Hawaiian Electric senior vice president for customer service. “O‘ahu has over 200 publicly accessible Level Two charging ports, but recharging there takes longer and it may be hard to find an open unit. This will help.”
The DC Fast Charger at Dole Plantation has both a CHAdeMO connection (used mostly by Japanese and Korean EVs like the Nissan Leaf, Mitsubishi i-MiEV, and Kia Soul EV) and a CCS connection (used by American and European EVs like the BMW i3.) This is the first charger on O‘ahu supporting both types of fast charging.
“As one of the state’s most popular attractions, Dole Plantation draws more than one million people each year. Whether local residents or island visitors, they are increasingly likely to be driving electric vehicles,” said Christopher M. Lovvorn, Castle & Cooke vice president for commercial development. “Given our location in the midst of Central O‘ahu’s pineapple fields, we at Dole Plantation were committed to helping Hawaiian Electric provide this needed service for Hawai‘i’s drivers.”
Maui Electric also has a DC Fast Charger accessible at its Kahului headquarters. The Hawaiʻi Public Utilities Commission authorized a five-year demonstration for the utilities to install, own and operate up to 25 fast chargers in their service territory. Additional sites are now being scouted on Oʻahu and other islands.
Although some fast chargers may be on utility property, most will be located on host sites like Dole Plantation. Hawaiian Electric will operate the equipment at no cost to the host for installation, maintenance, or electricity. Hosts must be willing to provide the requested space and minimal assistance for operation.
Hosting a fast charger helps with compliance of the state law that requires public parking lots with at least 100 parking spaces to have at least one exclusive parking space for electric vehicles equipped with a charging station. And the host gains recognition as an early supporter of electric transportation and clean energy.
The Dole Plantation fast charger was officially opened this morning with the untying of a maile lei and blessing by Kahu Kelekona Bishaw of Kamehameha Schools.
Honolulu was ranked the fifth most electric-vehicle friendly U.S. city by ChargePoint, a California-based electric vehicle infrastructure company. Honolulu follows the San Francisco Bay area, Los Angeles, Seattle, and San Diego but comes in ahead of Austin, Detroit, Atlanta, Denver and Portland on the top ten list.
The Hawaiian Electric Companies offer customers special discount EV charging rates. In addition to being cheaper to operate mile for mile and needing less maintenance than internal combustion engine vehicles, EVs allow drivers on Oʻahu to enjoy free parking at municipal lots and meters and use of high-occupancy vehicle lanes with only one person aboard.