In Lihue, gas was averaging $5.88 last week, and diesel averaged $7.53. Gas is 91 cents higher than a year ago, and diesel is up by $1.66. High fuel prices are creating economic pain for households and businesses.
I’ve driven an electric car since 2018. My latest vehicle is a 2026 Model Y. I have added 8,650 miles of charge since April for $1,267. My Tesla app estimates that the same number of miles in a gas SUV would have cost $2,040. That’s a $773 savings in six months. The price shock caused by the current Middle East energy crisis has shown me what my choice is worth.
A gas car that averages 30 miles per gallon costs about 19.6 cents per mile at today’s gas prices. A typical electric sedan that goes 3.5 miles per kilowatt-hour (kWh) costs about 11.4 cents per mile at Kauai Island Utility Cooperative’s (KIUC’s) residential rate of about 40 cents. Drive 10,000 miles in a year, and that’s about $1,960 for gas and $1,140 for electricity. EV drivers save about $820 per year, and those with rooftop solar save even more.
For truck drivers, the savings are even bigger. A diesel truck that gets about 20 miles per gallon will cost about 37.7 cents per mile with diesel at $7.53. An electric truck that goes 2.2 miles per kWh will cost about 18.1 cents. That’s close to $2,000 in savings for 10,000 miles driven in an electric truck.
Electricity went up across Hawaii, too. Hawaiian Electric customers took increases of 20% to 30%. In July, KIUC’s average residential rate was 39.8 cents. The average rate across all KIUC customers was 6% higher than one year earlier. We’re fortunate that KIUC gets half of its power from fixed-price renewables and is not as affected by imported oil volatility. Lihue’s gas and diesel rose 18% and 28%, respectively, over the same period.
Kauai has 1,358 EVs as of September, up 10% from a year earlier. It’s still less than 2% of our passenger vehicles. EVs don’t fit every household yet. They cost more upfront, although there are now more affordable new and used models. We also have renters and apartment dwellers who don’t have access to an outlet or charger in their parking area, while our public charging network is still thin.
Our state Legislature can fix these problems. In 2026, every EV bill that reached a floor vote passed, but none became law. House Bill 1619 would have expedited permitting of public chargers near beaches and harbors, without any cost to taxpayers. It passed the Senate, 25 to 0, but died in conference committee.
In the next legislative session, I’m asking our Kauai senator and representatives to support bills that speed up permitting of public chargers, expand funding of the EV charger rebate program, and help our residents buy affordable EVs.
Every gallon of fuel that we stop importing means more money for our islands. Let’s help our residents plug in.
Kauai resident Michael Albatrosov leads Kauai EV and is a board member of the Hawaii EV Association.
