Hawaii in the mid 1990's coordinated with Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) and Enova Systems (www.enovasystems.com) to experiment with the operation of EV's. Although testing went well, electric vehicle technology was not ready for mass adoption.
Today, as helped along by the ARRA (American Reinvestment and Recovery Act), Hawaii State and busineses are activating a wider scale energy initiative that includes special emphasis on EV and PHEV usage and charging infrastructure.
Why is Hawaii also focused on vehicles? "Every barrel of crude oil imported into Hawaii is used as follows: about one third for ground transportation (gasoline and diesel); one third for air transportation (jet fuel); and one third to generate electricity. If we want to reduce our use of oil for electricity, we need to also reduce our use of gasoline for ground transportation." (1)
Hawaii's volume of roads and miles driven between origins and destinations (even if temporary destinations) make it a perfect fit for EV and PHEV's. With newer and now readily available EV and PHEV vehicles, and investments in clean energy technologies like wind power, Hawaii's initiative is prepared for instant activation. It is also Hawaii's belief that the private and business market will adopt and embrace EV and PHEV's, and with correct plan execution and vehicle diversity, this seems almost certain.
Metropolitan areas with high live / work densities are perfect situations for cloning Hawaii's initiative. Additionally, with larger populations, funding from public sources may very well not be required.
(1) State of Hawai'i, Executive Chambers, News Release: State and Hawaiian Electric Strike Sweeping Agreement for Hawai'i’s Energy Future, October 20, 2008
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