Honolulu (KHON2) – The number of electric vehicles on Hawaii’s roads is up 30 percent from August of 2020 and the State Department of Transportation’s fleet is part of the electrification.
“Our mission includes to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and thereby reduce emissions,” says Greg Gaug, Senior Vice President of Investments and Analytics, Ulupono Initiative. “Ground transportation is the leading generator of emissions in the State. The State has now committed to fully transitioning its light duty fleet by 2035, that is 100% of vehicles in the next 15 years, and it’s great to see the State Department of Transportation leading the way.”
“In December 2020 we finalized our EV as a service contract,” says Ed Sniffen, Deputy Director for Highways, Hawaii State Department of Transportation. This is a 10-year contract that makes EVs and charging stations available to state and county agencies for a per mile cost. Using this service contract lessens the sticker shock associated with purchasing a new EV and setting up charging.”
In April, the State DOT took its first delivery of 42 EVs through the contract. The goal is to complete the conversion of 300-vehicle light duty fleet within the next seven years.
“The reason we’re targeting our light duty fleet is that transportation as a sector accounts for nearly 30-percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.,” explains Sniffen. “Of those emissions, a whopping 58-percent are from light duty vehicles.”
A recent UH study concluded that switching to an EV now can reduce fossil fuel consumption by 91% and emission by 70% over the next 15 years
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