HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0336.003 2012-2014 Margaret Wille Mi,;q. Phone No. Hilo: (808)961-8027
Council Member cP�'•'�� +.,'.. Phone No. Waimea: (808) 887-2043
District 9-North and South Kohala • r ��°' Fax No.: (808)887-2072
'�+�� �'•I E-Mail: mwille @co.hawaii.hi.us
HAWAII COUNTY COUNCIL
County of Hawai`i
Hawaii County Building Holomua Center West Hawaii Civic Center Bldg.A
25 Aupuni Street 64-1067 Mamalahoa Highway,Suite C-5 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Hwy.
Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Waimea, Hawaii 96743 Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i,96740
52. c
TO: J Yoshimoto, Council Chair w
and Members of the Hawai`i County Council
-r—
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FROM: Margaret Wille, Council Member
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DATE: July 22, 2013
SUBJECT: Additional Information Regarding Communication 336
Please find attached a letter of support from the Maui Electric Vehicle Alliance.
Thank you.
MW/dh
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Comm. N (0 3
Ref.To:
Serving the Interests of the People of Our Island Ref. Date
Hawai`i County Is An Equal Opportunity Provider And Employer
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MAUI ELECTRIC VEHICLE ALLIANCE
Letter of Support
22 July 2013
The Big Island LEAF Users Association is by far the most active electric vehicle (EV) users
association in the state of Hawaii. Since our visit to Kona, Waimea, Hilo, Molokai, Honolulu, and
Kaua'i in late February 2013 to share the results of our 105-page report*, we have kept abreast of
their level of activity and commitment to wider EV adoption and push for infrastructure
development. Of all the islands in the state, Hawai'i Island is the one most in need of DC Fast
Chargers because of the vast distances and the growing number of electric vehicle owners. Hawai'i
County is also the only one in the state that has no DC fast charger for its plug-in electric vehicles.
DC Fast Chargers not only reduce range anxiety for EV drivers but also increase confidence for EV
infrastructure development. In Maui, for instance, the installation of the first DC Fast Charger in a
central and strategic location motivated local residents to purchase electric vehicles. Its key location
in Wailuku at the County Building has allowed EV drivers residing in the East Side and Upcountry
to commute to the West Side and vice versa.
With the recent installation of 20 DC Fast Chargers in 5 locations on Maui through the JUMPsmart
Maui project (Japan US smart grid demonstration project on Maui), our island now has one of the
highest penetration of DC Fast Chargers. The sale of Nissan LEAFs has doubled that of last year,
becoming the best selling Nissan car model on the island.
As Hawai'i County has neither the $30 million JUMPsmart Maui project nor the ARRA-funded
Aerovironment DC Fast Chargers that were installed on Oahu, Maui, and Kaua'i, a different
approach and source of funding is needed.
We strongly believe the need to learn from user experience and to actively engage the stakeholders
in getting the message of EVs across. The work of Doug Teeple and others demonstrates exactly
that. We eagerly anticipate a supportive outcome from his testimony.
Yours Sincerely,
u
Project Director
Maui Electric Vehicle Alliance
UH Maui College, 310 Ka'ahumanu Avenue, Kahului, HI 96732
Maui Electric Vehicle Alliance (Maui EVA) is the name of a project at UH Maui College, seed-
funded by a Department of Energy Clean Cities EV-readiness community planning grant, awarded
on 1st October 2011 to UHMC and subawardees DBEDT, Honolulu Clean Cities, and UC San
Diego. Named the third most innovative EV project in the USA by Green Tech Media (December
2011), our original vision is to give our visitors the experience of EVs in paradise. The grant was
recently extended at no cost to allow our work to continue to support Maui and the neighbor islands.
We disseminate through social media (Facebook, Twitter, Linkedln, Youtube), our own newspaper
column"EV in Paradise," cable television program "Maui EVA TV" and monthly newsletter.
Website: http:1,""‘A,
* "EVs in Paradise: Planning for the Development of Electric Vehicle Infrastructure in Maui
County" (revised, 2-12-2013), available from http:',/‘‘AN w,mattieva.orgrreport: