2 EV chargers added at airport center

More electric vehicle chargers are connecting to Oahu’s grid.

Hawaiian Electric Co. opened two mobile chargers to the public Thursday. HECO and Energy Excelerator — a Honolulu-based program that helps energy startups — sponsored the chargers stationed at the Honolulu Airport Trade Center. The two Mobi Chargers, products of San Leandro, Calif.-based FreeWire Technologies, cost about $42,500 per unit.

Alan Oshima, president of HECO, said the Mobi Chargers will help capture extra solar energy on the grid during the day and help lower electricity costs for customers.

HECO said that in the long term, increased electricity use during the day helps lower costs for customers by using generation capacity more efficiently.

“In the end it will reduce customer bills,” Oshima said.

The Mobi Chargers work as stationary chargers or can move to where an EV is parked, then move to the next EV when the charging is done.

“We need to find different charging solutions so people feel confident they can rely on electric vehicles,” Oshima said.

The Mobi Charger can fully fill up most EVs in about 45 minutes. The cost to charge is about $6.50 per session.

Owners of electric vehicles have to download FreeWire’s mobile application and complete the profile before they can plug in the vehicle. The app is available on Apple and Android devices.

The two chargers will remain stationary until an attendant is hired to monitor the devices, said Arcady Sosinov, CEO and co-founder of FreeWire Technologies. Sosinov said if the spot becomes a popular location, the company will hire someone to oversee and move the chargers.