Volta Industries installed two free charging stations for electric vehicles in the Whole Foods Market parking lot in Kahului earlier this month.
“EV drivers on Maui have expressed the need for more charging stations, so we’re excited to make these new stations available,” said Arden Penton, Volta director of media and operations. She added that with the two new Kahului stations, the Oahu-based company now operates four electric vehicle charging stations on Maui. The other two stations opened in June at the Whalers Village parking garage in Kaanapali.
Volta is able to provide the service free of charge to users by partnering with local businesses, like American Savings Bank and Rising Sun Solar, as sponsors that advertise on panels of the charging kiosk.
“Our overall goal is to populate our network and become a free service where our users shop. We try to look at properties and see where the best places for EV shoppers (are),” Penton said.
Having stations at Whole Foods Market “makes sense” because the brand tends to draw shoppers that are more environmentally conscious.
“Volta’s EV stations support our green mission and sustainability goals,” Whole Foods Market Kahului General Manager Mark Martinez said in a statement. “They also create a great incentive for our customers who can charge for free while they shop.”
Each station provides approximately 20 to 25 miles worth of range per hour of charging.
There were about 556 electric vehicles on Maui as of October, according to the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism website. There are 27 electric vehicle charging sites on the island, including 10 in West Maui, 10 in Central Maui, six in South Maui and one in Maalaea, according to the state website.
Maui Electric Co. supports the integration of more electric vehicles into the Maui market, even offering discounted electric rates for electric vehicle owners.
“Transportation plays a central role in reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. Switching to electric vehicles will use substantially less oil at a lower cost to reach the same level of mobility, even if oil is used in the production of electricity,” the utility’s website says.
MECO offers discounted off-peak rates for electric vehicle charging between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. On Maui, the discount is 8 cents below typical rates.
A two-year university study funded by the U.S. Department of Energy sought to develop an electric vehicle readiness plan for Maui County. Former project director Anne Ku, a professor at University of Hawaii Maui College, said that the benefits of bringing in more electric vehicles to Maui’s community are extensive.
“In the long run, it’s more efficient to run off electricity than off gasoline and other fuels, because the source of production is here,” Ku said. She added that the electric motor is “more efficient” than an internal combustion engine characteristic of gas-fueled vehicles; and, greenhouse gas emissions are reduced.
Not to mention the money residents would save on gas, she added.
“Imagine getting an EV and having no added fuel costs and no maintenance costs,” she said.
While there still would be some maintenance costs, Ku concedes, routine oil changes and other upkeep are not as necessary in electric cars as they are in regular cars.
Ku said Volta’s free charging stations are a new concept that works.
“They are pioneers with this new concept. . . . Their unique selling point is that they offer free charging by using revenue they get from advertisements,” Ku said.
Volta representatives said they are looking to expand their stations to other popular shopping areas on Maui, though they have not disclosed site locations. Founded in 2010, the company operates 28 charging stations in the state and more than 80 stations in Hawaii, California and Arizona.
* Eileen Chao can be reached at echao@mauinews.com.
Today's breaking news and more in your inbox
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7rq3UoqWer6NjsLC5jqecsKtfobykrctmpZ6vo2R%2FcX2TaGhrZ6edvK2xjJ%2BmqJyjYq6lsNJmq7CnXZu%2FprGMnJ%2Baqpeeu6h50q2YraGfo8Bw