When you’re trying to peer into the future, a look back can be instructive. Evaluating the trend lines for electric vehicle (EV) sales and acceptance is one good example. As a commodity, the combustion-powered automobile didn’t immediately take off either, owing to various hurdles of affordability and the availability of the infrastructure to support it. Not surprisingly, the growing pains of the emerging EV sector show it is following a similar pattern.

The Star-Advertiser conducted an informal test in the form of a series titled "The EV Life," tapping three reporters — Nadine Kam, Gordon Pang and Alan Yonan Jr. — to assess the state of EV driving in Hawaii.

The state has been making an investment to make electric vehicles a more viable option for isle drivers, who otherwise are a captive market for imported petroleum fuels.

The experiences of the reporters varied somewhat, but the overarching conclusion seemed to be that even with that investment, Hawaii has not yet reached a tipping point. The cars are considerably more expensive to purchase, and with the end of the state’s rebate program, the bar is about to move even higher.

The irony is that there are also hopeful signs for the future of "green" cars, and this means it would be smart to continue smoothing the transition for Hawaii drivers whenever that’s possible.

In addition to the continuing tax incentives of up to $7,500 still offered by the federal government, the state issued more than 450 rebates of $4,500 toward the purchase of a plug-in electric vehicle, totaling about $2 million between January 2011 and earlier this month. That’s when funds ran out, well in advance of the projected November end date for the program.

Mark Glick, administrator of the Hawaii State Energy Office, said that happened because interest in the cars is exceeding expectations; that, of course, can be seen as the silver lining here.

Extending that program further should be up for discussion in the next legislative session.

Although our testers liked the quiet drive and the chance to bypass the gas pump, the driving experience, particularly the smallish size of the cars, won’t appeal to everyone. Arnold Schwarzenegger has a big laugh line in the upcoming "The Expendables 2," delivered from the seat of an EV: "My shoe is bigger than this car."

So, no, they typically won’t fulfill anyone’s action-hero fantasies or a need for speed.

Among the more universal objections is what is known as "range anxiety" — the worry that the juice will run out in some inopportune spot, one without a charging port. The state has not yet reached its target of installing 230 public charging stations at 80 locations statewide. An energy office list showed that even on Oahu, there are only 119 so far.

Further, there are not yet any "Level 3" stations here, which would enable drivers to recharge in about a half-hour, as opposed to the four hours or longer that current stations take. However, Volta Industries is one of the charging-station suppliers with plans to begin Level 3 service here.

Battery technology also needs to evolve further. EV batteries are expensive, with relatively short life, which shortens the range of travel between charges.

There is hope for progress here, too. A startup based in California, Envia Systems, recently announced it’s developed a rechargeable lithium-ion battery with a range of 300 miles.

In the meantime, its shorter commute distances makes Hawaii an optimal laboratory location for the EV industry to develop while research continues into ways to make this travel option more affordable.

There’s reason to be optimistic that further discoveries are in the wings, one of which will propel the EV beyond its current limitations. That’s when the clean-energy car can assume a larger transportation niche, and there are few places where it seems an easier fit than in this island state.