“It’s Electrifying!” First Electric Vehicles Arrive for the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation

The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) makes a step forward in the electrification of its light-duty fleet with the arrival of the first electric vehicles (EVs) procured through the State’s EV as a service contract. The EV as a service contract allows HDOT and other interested state and county agencies to procure EVs and charging infrastructure on a per-mile cost basis. Use of this service contract is expected to save approximately 75-percent in vehicle maintenance over the lifespan of the vehicle and an average of $287 per vehicle per year in fuel costs.

On Tuesday, April 13, the first of nine EVs to serve as vehicle replacements was delivered to State Highways. One EV was picked up by the Hawaii State Energy Office (HSEO) through the contract as well. By the end of May, HDOT will replace an additional 34 internal combustion engine vehicles with EVs.

“We were definitely excited to begin the service contract with Sustainability Partners as converting our aging vehicles to EVs is another way HDOT is saving money and working towards the State’s goal of reducing fuel consumption in ground transportation 70-percent by 2030,” said Hawaii Department of Transportation Deputy Director for Highways Ed Sniffen. “Public and private ground transportation is a huge contributor to carbon dioxide emissions. This service contract, that is available to all State and County agencies, could expedite government fleet conversions and help lead the way for increased private adoption of EV.”

“The partnership between the Hawaii Department of Transportation and the State Energy Office in this important program demonstrates how state government can lead by example,” said Chief Energy Officer Scott Glenn. “Through this innovative contract, any state or county agency can take part in this. The State Energy Office stands ready to help any agency through this so they can continue to lead on Hawaii’s clean energy economy.”

Each EV replacing an internal combustion engine vehicle will save an estimated 8,700 pounds of carbon dioxide annually. For this first round of 10 EVs that would be approximately 87,000 pounds of carbon dioxide that will not be released into the atmosphere.

HDOT Highways will continue to pursue electrification or elimination of its light-duty fleet within the next seven years. The current light-duty fleet is made up of 300 vehicles statewide. The fleet conversion will be used as an opportunity to reevaluate the need for these vehicles. By 2028 HDOT Highways will either remove unnecessary internal combustion engine vehicles from the fleet entirely or replace it with an EV.

State and county agencies interested in learning more about the service contract or benefits of EV conversions can visit https://hidot.hawaii.gov/highways/electric-vehicles/ for cost comparisons and contact information.