HECO opens fifth EV charging station
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM
James Frasher, left, VP of engineering at Greenlots, Carlos Perez, manager of customer solutions at HECO, and Alan Oshima, president and CEO at HECO, pose for a photo at the ribbon-cutting ceremony today for Hawaiian Electric’s fifth utility-owned DC Fast Charger station for electric vehicles.
Hawaiian Electric Co. opened its fifth electric vehicle charging station Thursday.
The charging station located near HECO’s office at 820 Ward Ave. makes for a total of 203 electric charging stations with 455 outlets in the state, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
The station is a DC Fast Charger similar to the four other stations HECO has installed. The other stations are located at Dole Plantation in Wahiawa, Koolau Center in Kaneohe, and 7-Eleven in Hawaii Kai.
HECO said that the fast charger will help eliminate range anxiety for EV drivers. Additionally, the fast charger will serve EV owners residing in multi-unit dwellings in the Honolulu area who may not have access to EV charging in their buildings.
“It just gives people assurance that there is some place for them to go,” said Peter Rosegg, spokesman for Hawaiian Electric Co.
The station can recharge a near-depleted battery to 80 percent capacity in 30 minutes, HECO said.
It will cost drivers $6.50 to charge but can cost slightly more during times of peak electric use or less if used during overnight hours. Drivers will be able to pay by credit card or by a Greenlots smartphone app.
Information on charging, including the current price, is available at hawaiianelectric.com/goev.
HECO plans to eventually open 25 charging stations across Oahu, Maui and the Big Island.
“This is one of the key components for us,” said Alan Oshima, president and CEO of HECO, at the blessing for the Ward charging station.
Oshima said the utility wants to facilitate the discussion about EVs.
“We have to work with the dealers, work with the state, the city and regulators,” he said. “The first experience has to be good otherwise people get weary of the technology. We try to make it so the first experience is a good one.”
Oshima said the utility is actively looking for hosting sites.
“We try to get third parties to allow this … sometimes we are able to, and sometimes we are not, because it takes up space,” Oshima said. “We’re looking at Waianae, we’re looking at shopping centers mainly that will give us space. Some see it as a draw because when people are charging, they go and shop.”
State law requires public parking lots with at least 100 parking spaces to have at least one parking space for electric vehicles equipped with a charging station. There is no enforcement mechanism currently in place for this law.
5 responses to “HECO opens fifth EV charging station”
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Mr. Oshima gets paid hundreds of thousands of dollars and that is all he came up with? No wonder HECO is all messed up.
This is a diversion from how HECO stifled home PV installation and cancelled the PV farms that were to be built. Puplic relations Gruber move to make HECO the “good guy”
diversion? they were good decisions made in the interests of their customers whether you’re too ignorant to see that or not. get educated before speaking. cholo enjoys electricity but not black outs.
For your information, cholo, many of us are educated on PV and solar power. I myself have been directly affected by HECO’s moved. Often, their strategies are NOT in the best interest of customers. Instead, they are all veiled attempts at salvaging revenues for the sake of the company pockets at the expense of the customers. You need to get out from under the rock and maybe you’ll see the truth regarding this company.
Coming from a company that all but killed the solar power industry, it comes as a disingenuous attempt to salvage their public image. Nice.