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Hawaiian Electric said it will pursue non‑capital items from its withdrawn application while pausing the larger buildout because of financial constraints.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 vehicles that occupy a charger beyond a set time (for example, 30 minutes) to discourage blocking of public chargers.

- Drop “pilot” labeling from parts of the EVU tariff so the tariff reflects an operational, ongoing public‑charging offering rather than an experiment.

Marso said Hawaiian Electric will continue maintenance and repair of its public network and support streamlined pre‑service and service requests for third‑party projects. The company credited improved operations and maintenance with a reported 70% increase in public‑charger usage year over year.

Rate differences and consumer impacts

During the meeting Hawaiian Electric staff reported that the EVU tariff is approximately $0.21–$0.22 per kilowatt‑hour higher than the EV Maui tariff across several time periods. The utility supplied the following figures during discussion: EV Maui midday ~ $0.28/kWh, EV Maui on‑peak ~ $0.40/kWh and EVU midday ~ $0.49/kWh, with EVU on‑peak and off‑peak at roughly $0.62/kWh and $0.60/kWh respectively. Department of Transportation chargers at Aloha Tower were cited during the meeting at about $0.44/kWh midday and $0.57/kWh evening for comparison.

Hawaiian Electric said it will provide a full table of current EV Maui and EVU rates and comparisons to third‑party market rates if requested by the Commission.

Tools, forecasts and make‑ready work

Hawaiian Electric described ongoing work to update its “critical backbone tool” — a publicly accessible modeling tool developed with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) that estimates needed chargers under different assumptions. Key inputs reported included a 33% share assumed for plug‑in hybrids, and an assumption that 85% of drivers have access to home charging (lower than many mainland assumptions because of Hawaii’s stock of multi‑unit dwellings).

The utility said the NREL‑based update could be complete by the end of Q2 but flagged a possible delay because NREL/DOE are pausing some external web publishing. Hawaiian Electric also said it is revising its long‑term EV forecast to feed the integrated grid plan.

Stakeholder concerns and state context

Hawaii State Energy Office staff told the Commission public charging is “a significant component” of decarbonizing ground transportation and cited an estimate — based on NREL methodology — of roughly $200,000,000 in capital investment for public charging through 2030 to reach the state’s goals. The State Energy Office and several commenters urged the Commission and Hawaiian Electric to use rate design, make‑ready programs and other levers to attract investment and ensure equity in siting.

Community advocates, the Ulupono Initiative and Earthjustice said the withdrawal is a missed opportunity that risks clustering of privately owned chargers in high‑profit areas and leaving lower‑utilization or remote communities without access. Michael Colon of Ulupono argued the utility‑run program could better deliver equitable siting, coordinated rates and consumer protections than a wholly market‑driven approach.

Working group, next steps and docket

Commissioners said the Commission will pursue establishment of an Electrification of Transportation working group to coordinate agencies, the utility and market participants. The Commission suggested that group be narrowly scoped toward deliverables and results and discussed whether it should be housed inside an existing pilot docket to speed action.

Commissioner Colin Yost reminded stakeholders that the Commission will accept written comments in docket 20180135 through its e‑services portal. The Commission also asked Hawaiian Electric to provide more detailed timelines for rate filings and to supply the specific rate tables and comparisons the utility offered to provide during the session.

What was not decided

No formal vote or commission ruling occurred at the status conference. Hawaiian Electric did not file a new capital‑expansion proposal at the session and said it would consider developing a work plan if requested. Several stakeholders asked the utility to reconsider capital investment as its financial position stabilizes.

The Commission also asked Hawaiian Electric to report on whether EOT‑related PBR (performance‑based regulation) metrics and fleet conversion benchmarks are being met, a point the commissioners said they will follow up on.

Closing

Commissioners and agency staff emphasized continued urgency to accelerate public charging deployment while the state proceeds with NEVI‑funded sites, HDOT’s energy security plan, and regulatory work on rates and make‑ready programs. The Commission signaled it will move quickly to set the working group’s scope, participants and timeline and invited written public comment in docket 20180135.