Smart Charge Hawaiʻi is an 18-month pilot program created by Hawaiian Electric, Ulupono Initiative, and global electric vehicle software provider ev.energy.
The program will track the energy use of participating electric vehicles through an app.
The app includes smart charging features, such as automated low-carbon charging for customers with rooftop solar panels.
Aki Marceau, HECO’s electrification of transportation director, said the data will help the utility better serve customers.
"We don't know a lot about how people are charging, when they're charging, and how their vehicle batteries are when they are charging," she said.
"And so this will really help us develop new programs and offerings that serve EV drivers and serve even users and essentially all customers, even those who don't own an EV to make sure that we're not overly stressing the grid. And we're actually optimizing the grid as more and more people own and drive electric vehicles," she continued.
The program is limited to 2,000 HECO customers on Oʻahu, Maui and Hawaiʻi Island. Participants will receive an incentive of either 10,000 Hawaiian Airlines miles or $150 in cash.
More information can be found at https://smartchargehi.ev.energy/
