Electric cars… In Hawaii?
California-based BetterPlace announced a partnership with the state government of Hawaii to build an electric car charging network across the state. And actually, BetterPlace’s electric cars don’t look all that bad. I might even consider driving one. And besides, everything looks better with the backdrop of the Hawaiian islands. How else could one explain the popularity and success of Magnum PI?
According to BetterPlace:
The state’s partnership with Better Place will play a significant role in the economic growth of Hawaii and will serve as a model for the rest of the U.S. for how green technology infrastructure can fuel job creation. The implementation of electric infrastructure will reignite the Hawaii economy with local jobs, while creating a model for renewable energy growth. It will also expose the millions of annual visitors to Hawaii to the real possibilities of life with clean energy and renewable fuel.
(Link: the full press release.)
Hawaiian Electric has signed on to build the infrastructure for the charging stations. BetterPlace plans to have their electric vehicles in Hawaii by mid-2010, and mass-market availability of their vehicles by 2012.
This is either a positive sign in the right direction towards reducing our dependence on foreign oil, or the beginning of the next mega-bubble: green technology. Hopefully this won’t end up like the EV1 drama in California, where we ended up with a lot of electric vehicle charging stations that virtually no one can use now. (Yes, I did watch and enjoy Who Killed the Electric Car.)
Filed under: Car Tech, General
Steve – thanks for this post. Had no idea Hawaii was looking at such a big infrastructure for electric cars. Hoping that works out.
And c’mon, Magnum P.I. rocked!
This is insane. Electric prices in Hawaii are very high because they burn diesel fuel to generate electricity. This is much different from the mainland where it’s possible to generate electricity through cleaner carbon fuels, nuclear or green sources.
I’m all for alternative cars – I drive a Hybrid Camry myself. But Hawaii is the wrong place for seeding the market for electric vehicles.
@Greg: According to the full press release, the move is intended to also help Hawaii move towards its 2030 goal of producing 70% of the state’s energy from renewable sources:
“The arrival of Better Place Hawai‘i furthers the progress of the Hawai‘i Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI) signed in January – with the goal to meet the state’s energy needs from 70% clean energy by 2030, as well as fostering economic growth and building the workforce of the future. The state is well on its way to leading the nation to a new era of energy independence.”
In fact Hawaii is uniquely able to produce renewable and sustainable electricity because of the extensive volcanic activity and the geothermal energy which can be tapped to convert to electricity. Places like Iceland produce a majority of its electricity from geothermal sources.
ZAP: The only active volcano is on the big island. Until they install undersea cables connecting the big island with Maui, Oahu and Kauai, this is just a pipe dream.