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State of Hawaii Adds Electric SUVs to Its Fleet

Enova Systems, in conjunction with its partners Hyundai Motor Co. of Korea (HMC) and the state of Hawaii, announced the addition of 15 electric Hyundai Santa Fe SUVs to the state fleet as part of the state's drive to become "EV-Ready."

July 11, 2001
2 min to read


Enova Systems, in conjunction with its partners Hyundai Motor Co. of Korea (HMC) and the state of Hawaii, announced the addition of 15 electric Hyundai Santa Fe SUVs to the state fleet as part of the state's drive to become "EV-Ready." Hawaii Gov. Benjamin Cayetano, who has spearheaded the effort, officially accepted and introduced the vehicles in a ceremony attended by Hyundai Motor Co. senior vice president, Dr. M.S. Kwon, and Enova's president and chief executive officer, Carl D. Perry. Also present were executives from the High Technology Development Corp. (HTDC), an agency of the state of Hawaii that participated in the partnership. Hawaii has become a testing ground for EV transportation technologies. Through this partnership, Hyundai chose Hawaii as the official introductory site in the United States for its Santa Fe SUV electric vehicles, developed with Enova Systems. The program will use Hawaii's rapid charging stations, manufactured by AeroVironment, now being installed. Enova has been integrally involved in the development of Hawaii as an "EV-Ready" state. The company has maintained an electric/hybrid-electric vehicle repair and maintenance facility in Honolulu for the past seven years. Working with the state of Hawaii, Enova has developed many electric vehicles and assisted the state in creating an environment conducive for alternative-fuel vehicles. The company has been instrumental in bringing Hyundai and the state of Hawaii together for this program to introduce more electric and hybrid electric vehicles into the state. The drive systems powering these SUVs were developed by Enova Systems and are manufactured under license by HMC. Additionally, Enova developed the power and battery management systems that allow the vehicles to be fast-charged. Enova Hawaii will continue to provide maintenance and repair for the 15 vehicles under a contract with the Hawaii Electric Vehicle Demonstration Project (HEVDP), HMC and the HTDC. Enova Systems, with headquarters in Torrance and offices in Hawaii and South Korea, is a designer, developer, and manufacturer of power management and conversion systems for the global mobile and stationary alternative-energy market.

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