The Hawaii Department of Transportation announced the state’s second electric vehicle charging station funded by the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program is now ready to be used.

What You Need To Know

  • The NEVI program is funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

  • The new $3.5 million facility includes four, 150-kilowatt, direct current chargers and is situated on Aloha Tower Drive fronting Pier 7

  • Charging rates are $0.44 per kWh from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and $0.57 per kWh from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m.

  • The rates are lower during the day because the cost of electricity goes down when more solar power is generated

The NEVI program is funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and it seeks to accelerate the adoption of EVs by increasing the availability of EV charging infrastructure. 

The new $3.5 million facility includes four, 150-kilowatt, direct current chargers and is situated on Aloha Tower Drive fronting Pier 7. HDOT partnered with the Hawaii Pacific University, the leaseholder of Aloha Tower, to place the charging stations in the complex. 

The four 150 kW DC fast chargers have Combined Charging System (CCS) and CHArge de MOve (CHAdeMO) connectors. HDOT said North American Charging Standard connectors will be added at a later date. For now, EVs using NACS will need an adapter.

The EV chargers are open 24-hours a day. Charging rates are $0.44 per kWh from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and $0.57 per kWh from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. The rates are lower during the day because the cost of electricity goes down when more solar power is generated, according to HDOT. 

Also, HDOT will enforce an idle fee with the goal of increasing NEVI charger availability. Once an EV reaches 100% state of charge, there will be an idle fee of $0.50/minute for every additional minute that a vehicle remains connected to the NEVI charger. A five-minute grace period will take place before idle fees start incurring. 

Payment and charger availability can be checked through the EV Connect App. For customers paying with the mobile app, QR codes will be displayed at the chargers. The chargers will also accept credit cards.

The charging rates at the Aloha Tower Complex are the same as the first NEVI-funded charging station, which opened at the Kahului Park & Ride on Maui on Feb. 28.

“The NEVI program has been huge in accelerating our transition toward a sustainable transportation future,” said Hawaii Department of Transportation Director Ed Sniffen in a statement. “Hawaii has long been a leader in EV adoption and HDOT will continue to push ahead on building the infrastructure needed to keep that momentum going.”

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