Big Island property developers may be required to add electric vehicle charging stations to their parking lots under a bill to be introduced Tuesday to the Hawaii County Council.
Hamakua Councilwoman Heather Kimball submitted a bill to the council in February that would require all newly built “places of public accommodation” with at least 50 parking stalls to at least two electric vehicle charging stations.
At the time, council action on the bill was deferred pending recommendations by the Windward and Leeward Planning commissions. With both commissions now in favor of the bill — albeit with some minor amendments — it goes back to the council’s Committee on Public Works and Mass Transit for consideration.
Kimball said the bill goes beyond a state law, passed last year, that authorizes the counties to make electric vehicle charging station mandates.
“The state law applies for lots with 100 stalls or more, but we’re doing 50 stalls or more,” Kimball said. “It makes sense because we’re the Big Island, and we have to drive further to get anywhere.”
During a Windward Planning Commission in May, Kimball said that the biggest obstacle to widespread EV adoption on the Big Island is a lack of charging infrastructure. She said there were 1,488 EVs on the island in June, but only 33 Level 2 charging stations.
Using a 3-kilowatt Level 2 plug, an electric vehicle can take anywhere from four to 10 hours to fully recharge from empty, according to U.S. Department of Transportation data. However, Direct Current Fast Charging stations can fully recharge a vehicle in about an hour.
Under the county bill, any new place of public accommodation, or any existing place of accommodation that seeks approval from the Planning Department, will be required to include at least two Level 2 charging plugs per 50 parking stalls by the end of 2023.
The requirements increase as time goes on: between 2023 and 2025, properties will require at least four plugs per 50 stalls, six plugs between 2025 and 2027, and at least eight plugs by 2029.
Kimball said the bill allows developers to fulfill the requirements using Fast Charging stations: One Fast Charging port can take the place of as many as eight Level 2 charging ports, but all affected properties must still have at least one Level 2 port installed.
During the May Windward Planning Commission meeting, Kimball said the cost of installing a charging station could range between $20,000 to $120,000, depending on how much electrical infrastructure needs to be installed, although the equipment alone costs roughly $10,000.
The bill includes a provision that permits site owners to charge “a reasonable fee” for the use of charging stations.
In addition, there exist multiple state programs that help businesses defray the cost of charging station installation.
Malia Kantrowitz, Hawaii County energy adviser for Hawaii Energy, said a charging station rebate program should begin within the next few months, allowing businesses to receive up to $2,000 for the installation of a Level 2 station with a single port, $4,500 for a dual-port Level 2 station and $35,000 for a Fast Charging station. A state bill passed earlier this year eliminated an annual cap on the rebate.
Meanwhile, Hawaiian Electric announced plans late last year to expand its public electric vehicle charging network, installing 150 Level 2 stations and 150 Fast Charging stations statewide by 2030.
About 20% of those stations — 30 of each type — would be installed on the Big Island. Those plans are currently under review by the state Public Utilities Commission.
Kimball said the increasing support for charging infrastructure gives her confidence in the bill’s success.
“I’m really bolstered by the planning commissions’ support,” Kimball said. “Between that and the state and federal support for electric vehicles … I think it should pass,” Kimball said.
Email Michael Brestovansky at hawaiitribune-herald.com.