EV Charging Stations in Wailuku, Lahaina and Haʻikū Reach End of Life, Upgrades Underway

File photo (Sept. 2012) Anne Ku, then director of UH Maui’s Electric Vehicle Alliance, spoke next to Maui’s first electric vehicle fast charger fronting the Kalana O Maui building in Wailuku. File county photo Sept. 2012.

An initiative has been launched to replace and upgrade the network of existing Electric Vehicle ʻOhana charging stations in Maui County .

The EVOhana charging stations located at the Kalana O Maui (County) Building in Wailuku, the Lahaina Aquatic Center and the Haʻikū Community Center were temporarily shutdown, starting yesterday, July 31, 2020.

County officials expect that it will take approximately two to three months in order to approve, procure, remove and upgrade these aging EV charging stations – which have reached the end of their useful life.

“We see this as a great program to further our climate action initiatives and support our Electrification of Transportation program,” said Maui Mayor Michael Victorino. “Although this will be an inconvenience for our EV drivers in the immediate term, the long-term benefits of having a new, state-of-the-art network of EV charging stations will be well worth the wait.”

The County of Maui has undergone an extensive request for proposals process to get to this point and continues to work closely with its partners – Maui Economic Development Board and Hawaiian Electric Company – to provide reliable and convenient EV charging to our community.

This new phase of EV charging is part of the ongoing evolution of our local EoT transformation, which started back in 2013, as a research and development project under the JUMPSmart Maui program.

“Reaching our ambitious clean transportation goals will require ongoing collaboration among various partners and branches of government,” County of Maui Energy Commissioner Alex DeRoode said. “We look forward to continuing to work with the Maui County Council, County Departments, the Hawaii State Energy Office, Hawaiian Electric Company, Hawaii Energy, and other partners such as the Ulupono Initiative.

“Together, we will transform our transportation system to positively contribute to climate action, community resilience, and social equity, all while helping to grow our local clean energy economy.”

The County’s EoT program will continue to evolve over time with expanded public EV charging coming to new County facilities, as well as the ongoing conversion of the County vehicle fleet to EVs and other clean fuel vehicles.

“I want to mahalo County Energy Commissioner Alex DeRoode and all of our partners for their support as we move toward a more sustainable future,” Mayor Victorino said. “These ongoing efforts are paving the way for the County of Maui to achieve its goals of having a 100% clean vehicle fleet by 2035, and for 100% of all ground transportation to be renewable by 2045.”