Hawaiian Electric is partnering with global electric vehicle software provider ev.energy to create a smart charging mobile app. The service will enable EV drivers to optimise their charging sessions while helping inform Hawaiian Electric’s future charging programs and EV-specific rate options.
The app allows customers to track their EV charging costs and consumption and includes smart charging features such as automated low carbon charging for customers with rooftop solar.
The Smart Charge Hawaii pilot will offer customers the choice to receive either $150 cash or 10,000 HawaiianMiles under Hawaiian Airlines’ frequent flyer program. The project, which has been partially funded by Ulupono Initiative, is available to up to 2,000 residential customers with EVs on O’ahu, Hawai’I Island and in Maui County.
Aki Marceau, Hawaiin Electric’s director of electrification and transport, said:
“For me and other EV owners Smart Charge Hawaii gives us a tool to manage our charging so we remember to power our cars when the sun is shining.
“It also helps Hawaiian Electric understand how to better serve current and future customers with electric vehicles. We hope to create a system that allows for our communities to easily take advantage of all the renewable energy on Hawaiian Electric’s grid, a critical step to meeting Hawaii’s 2045 zero emissions goals.”
By helping to accelerate broader EV deployment, Smart Charge Hawaii supports electrification of the state’s transportation sector. Increasing EV energy demand is expected to result in net benefits for all customers as the utilities’ fixed costs for generating and distributing energy are spread across a broader base, thereby lowering the cost to all customers.
Michael Colon Ulupono Initiative’s energy director, said:
“The Smart Charge Hawaii pilot is a great example of how collaboration between stakeholders can lead to effective solutions that give users deeper insights into EV charging behaviour and, as a result, empowers pilot participants to make decisions that save money while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
