HONOLULU, HI - The state of Hawaii's EV Ready Grant Program has awarded AeroVironment an $820,000 contract to fund the deployment of up to 320 AeroVironment 240-volt electric vehicle (EV) charging docks throughout the islands.
AeroVironment will partner with Hawaiian Electric Co. to design and build public and semi-private charging stations at convenient locations, including high-rise buildings, resorts and rental car facilities.
AeroVironment's charging docks, including the two-port or four-port EVSE-RS+ and EVSE-CS commercial unit, will be strategically located throughout Oahu, Hawaii Island, Maui and Kauai.
Based in Monrovia, Calif., AeroVironment is a technology company specializing in electric vehicles and unmanned aircraft systems. The company has installed more than 1,000 charging docks in more than 300 communities across 18 states since November 2010.
The state of Hawaii is offering a rebate of up to $500 for the installation of charging docks. Motorists who purchase an EV are eligible for a state rebate of up to $4,500. In combination with the Hawaii EV Ready Grant Program and other efforts, the rebates aim to establish the state as a leader in the clean transportation movement.
"We look forward to working with AeroVironment to help reduce the use of oil for transportation," said Robbie Alm, Hawaiian Electric executive vice president. "Wide use of electric vehicles will not only help reduce our fossil fuel dependence, it will make it easier to increase our use of renewable energy sources such as wind power and others, all contributing to our energy, economic and environmental security."
The Hawaii Natural Energy Institute (HNEI)at the University of Hawaii at Manoa will work with AeroVironment and Hawaiian Electric to collect data from chargers to analyze the impact of EVs and associated infrastructure on the power distribution grid.
"AeroVironment's team focuses on the entire user experience from the start by providing the right tools and a full range of practical, groundbreaking solutions," said Richard Rocheleau, director of the HNEI. "As a result, we'll have the unique ability to collect and analyze usage patterns that will help us project the increased demand on Hawaii's utilities as EV adoption accelerates."
AeroVironment has been working on clean transportation programs in Hawaii for more than a decade, beginning with deployment of fast-charging stations for passenger EVs in the early 2000s. AeroVironment also established world altitude records with its solar-electric, unmanned aircraft systems at the U.S. Navy Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands on Kauai.
