Editorial: Zero-emission vehicles on rise

Aligning with the state mandate to generate 100% of electricity sales from renewable resources by 2045, Hawaii’s counties have signed off on commitments to switch public and private ground transportation to using only renewable fuel sources by that same year.

The only realistic chance utilities and local governments have for meeting these deadlines hinges on steadily pushing transition to an economy that’s less dependent on fossil fuels. That’s why the Legislature’s green-energy work must continue to move forward, even as it also grapples with matters related to COVID-19 and other priorities.

Last week the Honolulu Star-Advertiser editorial board met with the Blue Planet Foundation, a public- policy group focused on finding and supporting creative ways to step up renewable energy use in Hawaii. In comparing the coronavirus threat with that posed by climate change, the nonprofit rightly pointed out that battling both requires government intervention as well as changes in culture.

While danger tied to COVID-19 infection has prompted necessary quick pivots in public-health protocols that changed daily habits and routines, most environmental perils linked to global warming are advancing in less abrupt ways. Still, dramatic changes are needed to significantly reduce Hawaii’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions while also building an energy future for the state that’s more self-sustaining and resilient.

Among the measures introduced this year at the state Capitol that could move the clean transportation needle forward is House Bill 1141, which requires that an increasing percentage of rental cars used in Hawaii be zero-emission vehicles. Given that the rental car industry operates the state’s largest vehicle fleets, this is a sensible goal. However, there will be little customer demand for these vehicles in the absence of easily accessible charging stations.

Since 2012, Hawaii law has required that public parking lots with 100 or more stalls have a least one electric-vehicle (EV) charging station. But due to the law’s lack of an enforcement provision, many properties have failed to comply or have not maintained charging equipment. An advancing version of House Bill 803 would provide clarification, asserting that counties have authority to establish and enforce penalties. Also, the bill would increase the count of required EV stalls to five.

While the rental car proposal, HB 1141, appears to be stalled, an advancing related measure would establish a task force to frame “rental car modernization.” Senate Bill 768 aims to ensure EV charging infrastructure is installed to support a 100% zero- emission rental motor vehicle fleet by 2035. A rigorous statewide planning strategy is needed to avoid expensive post-construction retrofits.

The state missed an opportunity to prep for the future in its airports modernization project. While an emission-free shuttle is in the works at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, its new consolidated car rental facility, fitted with 2,250 stalls, would require redesign and retrofitting to support a clean-energy fleet. Similarly, a Kahului Airport facility, which opened two years ago on Maui with upwards of 3,700 rental car stalls, would need an overhaul.

Due to falling battery costs and incentivizing policies in various states and countries, the volume and model types of EVs entering the market are ramping up. General Motors announced in January that it intends to phase out petroleum-powered cars and trucks by 2035, and Nissan plans to go all-electric by 2050.

In Hawaii, EVs make up a tiny percentage of the vehicles on our roads, but the count is increasing. State lawmakers and others must continue to take steps that enable transition to a cleaner-energy future.