Hawaii County committee backs multiyear plan to replace, add EV chargers after presentation

The Hawaii County Finance Committee on Aug. 21 voted to forward Resolution 583‑24, which authorizes a multiyear service arrangement with Sustainability Partners subsidiary Hawaii Island EV LLC to replace existing, underperforming electric‑vehicle charging stations and install additional public chargers at county properties.

Presenters Riley Saito and Noel Moran said the county’s plan mixes Level‑2 chargers at county buildings with faster DC‑fast hubs being deployed under the federal NEVI program. Moran said the NEVI hubs are part of a $5,000,000,000 federal program and that "Hawaii Island is getting 5 of the 11 hubs" planned statewide; he added that the DC fast chargers can "restore about a 100 miles of range per 30 minutes of charging."

Moran described the proposed county chargers as internet‑connected, smart ChargePoint stations: "The project will cover the cost of the equipment, installation, permitting, construction, and then also the maintenance, of the equipment," he said. He explained the commercial service model: Sustainability Partners owns the equipment and sets aside monthly funds to support repairs and replacements, while the county would manage operating policy and programming.

Committee members pressed for detail on maintenance, who would perform diagnostics and repairs, and how the county would set rate and access policies. Saito and Moran said maintenance responsibilities are "co‑created with the county," with an escrowed maintenance reserve to cover replacements and vendors available to provide parts. They said the chargers include software for monitoring station health and usage; the county would run the dashboard that sets rates, time‑of‑day pricing and dwell fees.

Members also discussed security at remote locations and options for solar or transportable chargers in lower‑powered sites. The committee debated a technical amendment offered by Member Kimball to standardize the business name for the vendor; that amendment passed unanimously. After the presentation and questions, the committee voted to forward the resolution to the full council with a positive recommendation. The clerk recorded 9 members in favor.

Next steps: Resolution 583‑24 will be considered by the full County Council. If approved, county staff and Sustainability Partners will finalize terms for a service arrangement that maintains vendor ownership of equipment while assigning operations and rate‑setting responsibilities to the county.