The rapid deployment of electric-vehicle charging stations across Hawaii is putting the state ahead of the curve in the "chicken and egg" dilemma that has slowed the acceptance of EVs in other markets.

Sluggish EV sales in some locations around the country are being blamed on the lack of stations to charge the vehicles. Others say there won’t be incentive to deploy a significant number of charging stations until there is a critical mass of EVs on the road.

But Hawaii has developed a network of charging stations using federal funds and now leads the nation on a per-capita basis, with one station for every 5,500 residents. With the infrastructure in place, Hawaii drivers have purchased plug-in cars at 10 times the average rate for U.S. drivers.

"EVs are cleaner and cheaper. They’re fun to drive," said Dan Davids, a part-time Kaneohe resident who is a director for Plug In America, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that promotes the use of EVs. "After you drive one for a while you start to realize you’re not going to gas stations anymore. And that’s pretty cool."

Nationally, sales of plug-in electric vehicles last year totaled 17,345, representing 0.1 percent of the 12.8 million cars and light trucks sold. By comparison, the 422 plug-in EVs that hit the roads in Hawaii last year constituted 1.2 percent of the total 35,531 vehicles sold.

The top three EVs in Hawaii last year were the Nissan Leaf, Mitsubishi i MiEV with 31 and the Volt with 30, according to data compiled by auto industry consultant Polk and provided to the Star-Advertiser by the Hawaii Auto Dealers Association.

Hawaii has done a lot to encourage EV ownership. It was the first state in the nation to prevent condominium associations from blocking the installation of home chargers. The state gives EV owners a tax credit toward the purchase of a vehicle, allows use of HOV and zipper lanes even if there’s only one person in the car, and provides free parking at meters and in state and municipal parking garages.

The state’s commitment to EVs is in keeping with its aggressive approach to developing alternative energy sources and reducing the state’s overwhelming dependence on foreign oil, said Mark Glick, head of the state’s Energy Office. The state’s goal is to have 40,000 EVs on Hawaii’s roads by 2020.

"Widespread adoption of electric vehicles is one of several key strategies that will help the state meet its goal of becoming 70 percent energy independent by the year 2030," Glick said. "The Energy Office is bringing together stakeholders to simultaneously build the charging infrastructure and electric vehicle usage that will ultimately displace 75 million gallons of gasoline that we use each year to fuel our cars, trucks and buses," he said.

Currently, about 80 percent of electric power in Hawaii is generated from burning oil, but the state hopes to gradually reduce that number through the use of alternative energy sources.

As with solar and wind energy, the government subsidizes electric vehicles and the infrastructure that supports them as part of its policy to advance alternative energy technologies. Since January 2011, the state has issued rebates totaling more than $2 million to 450 EV buyers. In addition, the state awarded $2.6 million in federal stimulus grants to cover the cost of 200 charging stations at 80 locations statewide.

The subsidy available for EVs is fairly generous. The $7,500 rebate offered by the federal government cuts the price of a Leaf to $27,700 from the $35,200 manufacturer’s suggested retail price.

For its part, Hawaiian Electric Co. launched a pilot program in October 2010 that offers participating customers a discounted rate for charging their EVs at night on Oahu, Hawaii island and in Maui County. On Oahu, HECO will shave 6 cents off its normal rate for electricity consumed between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.

Hawaii’s high electricity prices mean it costs more to "fill up" an EV here than on the mainland. But the cost per mile to drive a plug-in EV in the islands is still about half the cost of a standard vehicle getting 25 miles per gallon.

The Environmental Protection Agency rates the Leaf’s efficiency at 34 kilowatt-hours per 100 miles. Using HECO’s discounted EV rate of 29.6 cents per kilowatt-hour in April, the fuel cost for the Leaf works out to about 9 cents a mile. With gasoline at $4.40 a gallon, the per-mile fuel cost for a standard car getting 25 mpg is about 18 cents.

Hawaii has turned out to be an ideal location for automakers to market their electric vehicles for several reasons, said Dave Rolf, HADA executive director. The limited driving distances in the islands are a good fit for the range of EVs, which is generally less than 100 miles, he said. The batteries that power the EVs also perform better in warm climates, he added.

In addition, EVs blend well with Hawaii’s push for renewable energy development, Rolf said. For example, Hawaii’s wind farms sometimes generate excess energy at night when demand on the grid is low. Instead of being curtailed, that energy could be used to charge EVs, he said.