Hawaii’s 2nd NEVI charger under construction at Aloha Tower
COURTESY DOT
A groundbreaking ceremony was held for Hawaii’s second NEVI charger, to be installed in front of Pier 7 at Aloha Tower Marketplace.
Construction is now underway for Hawaii’s second federally-funded electric vehicle charging station in Honolulu.
The second EV station is being installed at Aloha Tower Marketplace, fronting Pier 7, for $2.5 million, according to the Hawaii Department of Transportation. The first station opened earlier this year at the Kahului Park & Ride on Maui.
The new EV charging stations are the first of several more to be installed as part of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure, or NEVI program, authorized by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
NEVI offers $5 billion to states to deploy an interconnected network of charging stations across the U.S. Other NEVI chargers are planned for sites on Kauai and Hawaii island.
The stations are required to offer a minimum of four 150-kilowatt, direct current (DC) chargers per site.
Since its installation in late February, the Kahului NEVI station has been used for more than 5,000 charging sessions, DOT said, which translates to a reduction of nearly 30,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
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Charging rates for the NEVI station at Aloha Tower will be the same as the one on Maui, based on time of use — 44 cents per kilowatt hour from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 57 cents per kWh from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m.
Officials said rates are lower during the day because, when more solar power is generated, lowering the cost of electricity.
The NEVI program aims to accelerate the adoption of EVs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions through a national network of EV chargers.
DOT partnered with Hawaii Pacific University in setting the charging stations at Aloha Tower Marketplace, which is the anchor of its campus.
During the work, parking in front of Pier 7 will be closed. Biki Station No. 109, however, will remain open.
Hawaii has the second highest EV adoption rate in the nation, behind California, according to DOT. As of July, there were 32,947 registered passenger EVs in Hawaii, up nearly 25% from the same time last year, according to state statistics.
