Hawaiʻi will be the first state in the country to take part in the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program.
The Federal Highway Administration awarded the state $2.6 million in funding for the project, which will be used by the state Department of Transportation to purchase 32 fast EV chargers and 16 power units.
Jim Burness, CEO of Aloha Charge, said the NEVI program will be applied throughout the state.
"For much of the country, the priority for NEVI is to further enable long-distance travel," Burness said. "In Hawaiʻi, it means many things from bridging the long distance gaps on the Big Island to providing reliable charging options in densely populated Honolulu to bring in much needed fast charging access to the neighbor islands."
Burness called Hawaiʻi "the ideal state to take the lead within every program."
"While the environmental stakes are high for all of us, Hawaiʻi is seeing the effects of climate change front and center each and every day," Burness said. "The urgent need to get off fossil fuels cannot be understated, and these NEVI stations will allow the drivers in Hawaiʻi to transition to electrify transportation even more quickly."
NEVI is part of the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which supports the development of EV charging infrastructure across the nation. NEVI will provide $5 billion over five years, according to Tritium, which is providing the fast chargers to the state.
“Hawaiʻi is committed to leading the nation in our e-mobility transition and grateful for Tritium’s partnership in this effort,” HDOT Director Edwin Sniffen said in a press release. “We’re confident that Tritium’s chargers will provide the fast and reliable service Hawaiʻi needs as we bolster our EV infrastructure statewide.”
