As the Aloha State registers its 5,000th EV, a new group has been formed to accelerate the adoption of EVs and coordinate integration with renewable energy. Charter members of Drive Electric Hawaii include the state’s DOT, several electric utilities and the Rocky Mountain Institute.

“The primary focus of the Drive Electric Hawaii Initiative is to accelerate the cost-effective electrification of transportation in all passenger vehicles, public transit vehicles, and fleet vehicles,” states the founding memorandum. “This effort will play a meaningful part toward the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative objective of increasing energy security and self-sufficiency by eliminating Hawaii’s dependence on imported fuels for both electricity and ground transportation.”

Hawaii is second only to California in per-capita EV ownership. Last year, new plug-in registrations increased 26 percent, even as legacy gas vehicle registrations fell by three percent.

“Drive Electric Hawaii is a great opportunity for the public, private and nonprofit sectors to collaborate on accelerating Hawaii’s bold energy and transportation goals,” said Greg Gaug, VP of investment firm Ulupono Initiative. “We look forward to working with the state, utilities, and transportation and energy stakeholders to get more EVs on our roads.”

“Many individuals, organizations and agencies must work together to achieve a clean transportation energy future. No one can do it alone,” said Shelee Kimura, VP of Hawaiian Electric. “We believe that, along with renewable generation of electricity, transportation electrification can help us achieve stable, reliable and lower-cost service for all our customers.”

Source: Hawaiian Electric