Federally funded EV charging station opens at Aloha Tower
COURTESY HAWAII DOT
Hawaii’s second — and Oahu’s first — federally funded EV charging station opened at Aloha Tower Marketplace this morning. The station was funded by the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program.
State officials opened Hawaii’s second federally funded electric vehicle charging station today at Aloha Tower Marketplace.
The station, which was built by the Hawaii Department of Transportation at a cost of $3.5 million, opened at 8 a.m. and will remain open 24 hours a day.
The EV station was funded by the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program, authorized through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support the deployment of a network of charging stations across the U.S., DOT officials said.
The Aloha Tower station offers four, 150-kilowatt, direct current chargers — or fast chargers — fronting Pier 7 along Aloha Tower Drive. They are compatible with Combined Charging System and CHArge de MOve connectors.
DOT officials said they partnered with Hawaii Pacific University, Aloha Tower’s leaseholder, on the placement of the station.
Charging rates at the station staggered based on time of use — 44 cents per kilowatt-hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 57 cents per kWh from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. Rates are lower during the day because more solar power is generated, lowering the cost of electricity.
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DOT is also implementing an “idle fee” of 50-cents a minute for every additional minute an EV remains connected to the NEVI charger after having been charged 100%, officials said. The fee is intended to motivate EV owners to move their cars once charging is done.
A 5-minute grace period will be given before those idle fees kick in, transportation officials said.
EV drivers can make payments and check on the availability of the chargers through the EV Connect App. Customers will also be able to use a QR code displayed on chargers to start a charging session with the mobile app.
The first NEVI-funded charging station opened in Hawaii was at the Kahului Park & Ride on Maui in February. Charging rates at Aloha Tower are the same as in Kahului.
“Congratulations to Hawaii for opening their second EV charging station funded by the NEVI program,” said Gabe Klein, executive director of the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, in a news release. “As we have seen in Maui, we know this station in Oahu will be well appreciated by EV users, expanding confidence in our national charging network and resulting in cleaner air across Hawaii.”
DOT officials said they plan to build a total of 11 NEVI charging stations statewide — five on Hawaii island, two on Kauai, two on Oahu, and two on Maui.
