As Saturday’s annual Earth Day observance approaches, it is fitting to recognize the latest efforts to fuel a growing electric vehicle market. This aim is to weaken the forces behind climate change, already linked to devastating environmental impacts.
Emissions from conventional ground transportation contribute more to Hawaii’s carbon footprint than any other single factor. According to state figures, more than 420 million gallons of gas were burned last year in the islands.
It is encouraging, then, that at both federal and state levels there is a significant effort to get America on a cleaner path. But it’s going to be a bumpy ride, and the transition must be managed carefully.
For example, making sure that there are enough charging stations to make EVs a practical part of the climate-change solution will be difficult, but is essential to success.
The Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency last week proposed strict greenhouse gas emission standards, starting with “light duty” vehicles for the 2027 model year and thereafter. These rules do not mandate a set number of EVs to be sold but are geared to press manufacturers to meet the more stringent standards by putting more EVs on the market.
A lot more: To comply with the emission standards, roughly 67% of these new cars sold in the U.S. would need to be electric, compared to the 5.8% that EVs represent today. The targets for medium-duty trucks such as delivery vans and for heavy-duty vehicles such as buses and heavy trucks would be 46% and 25%, respectively.
That’s a stunningly aggressive pace, which compels the government to manage the fallout. The rules don’t outlaw gas-powered vehicles, but in 2021 an International Energy Agency report indicated that countries would have to stop sales of new fossil-fuel cars by 2035 to stop global temperatures from increasing 1.5 degrees Celsius. Under that scenario, residents here could be left with an array of costly EVs they can’t afford.
Of course, the competition that results from growing the EV sector could make the emission-free cars more affordable as well as more readily available. Still, careful planning at every government level is imperative, including policies to guard against the workforce being priced out of transportation options.
Some forward-thinking ideas are already on the table. One of the candidates for conference-committee debate is Senate Bill 1024, which seeks to set long-term goals for zero-emissions transportation in Hawaii.
Among the provisions in the latest draft from the House is a requirement that the state Department of Transportation, Office of Planning and Sustainable Development and Hawaii State Energy Office develop EV charging-capacity plans and continue to allow EVs in high-occupancy vehicle lanes as an incentive.
It also would establish working groups to focus on ground transportation and interisland clean-transportation. Passing SB 1024 would be a modest step that would allow thoughtful changes to be made, especially if the working groups consider impacts on Hawaii consumers.
The state Public Utilities Commission also has a role to play here, providing oversight of Hawaiian Electric Co. and working to ensure the state’s EV charger capacity grows sustainably.
Progress has lagged in recent years, including the failure to include charging stations at the new Daniel K. Inouye International Airport rental-car facility.
Such lapses, disappointing as they are, should bolster resolve now to work for Hawaii’s clean-energy future, ignited in part by the spark of EV technology.
