Hawaiian Electric withdraws major EV charger expansion; proposes tariff shifts, idling fees and working group

The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission held a status conference May 16 to review Hawaiian Electric’s updated Electrification of Transportation (EOT) Roadmap after the utility withdrew a 2021 EV-charger expansion application and cited constrained access to capital.

The action leaves Hawaiian Electric (HECO) continuing to operate and maintain its existing public chargers but without the large capital program it proposed in 2021. “We just cannot, at this time, make the significant capital investment that we had envisioned back in 2021,” said Aki Marso, director of electrification of transportation for Hawaiian Electric.

Why it matters: State energy and transportation agencies, consumer advocates and nonprofit groups warned the commission that private developers alone are unlikely to deliver the geographically dispersed, equitable public-charging network Hawaii needs to meet its 2030 and longer-term decarbonization targets. The Commission said it will convene a stakeholder working group to coordinate next steps.

Hawaiian Electric’s near-term proposals and rationale

Hawaiian Electric said it will pursue non‑capital items from its withdrawn application while pausing the larger buildout because of financial constraints. The utility told the Commission it will:

- Move four chargers currently billed under the EV Maui schedule onto the EVU tariff and seek to address the existing EV Maui shared‑savings mechanism.

- Remove the current 25‑site cap on the EVU tariff so more sites can be placed on that schedule if needed.

- Propose idling fees that would charge…