Hawaii signs agreement for statewide electric car infrastructure
Hawaiian Electric Companies and Better Place signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on both the infrastructure and the energy sources to power Better Place’s unique network of public charging spots and battery swapping stations with renewable energy. Hawaiian Electric is the first utility in the United States to sign an agreement with Better Place. The partnership will enable the island to capitalize on abundant renewable energy resources with statewide deployment of the electrical vehicle infrastructure.
Better Place, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based company, will build the car recharging stations and provide recharged batteries for electric cars.
Hawaii currently uses petroleum to generate about 3/4 of it’s electricity! In terms of vehicle miles / BTU energy input, vehicles powered by electricity are typically more efficient than conventional internal combustion engine vehicles. But the island would need to increase it’s proportion of renewable resources and coal in order to truly ween itself from imported oil. Imported oil and coal are extremely expensive in Hawaii, so the island is expected to develop greater renewable resource capacity with its ample access to solar, wind, wave and geothermal power.
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