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Electric vehicle drivers in Maui County and on other islands will get a chance to participate in a mobile app pilot program that aims to help optimize EV charging sessions and guide Hawaiian Electric's future charging programs and EV rates.
Hawaiian Electric is partnering with global electric vehicle software provider ev.energy to offer the new smart charging mobile app. Customers who enroll in the Smart Charge Hawaii pilot can receive an incentive of either $150 in cash or 10,000 HawaiianMiles under Hawaiian Airlines' frequent flyer program. Ulupono Initiative provided funding support for the program, which is available to up to 2,000 residential customers with EVs in Maui County, Oahu and Hawaii island, according to a Hawaiian Electric news release.
As part of their participation, customers will be given access to ev.energy's mobile app that provides EV drivers with the ability to track their EV charging costs and consumption at home and on the go. The app includes smart charging features such as automated low carbon charging for customers with rooftop solar.
"For me and other EV owners Smart Charge Hawaii gives us a tool to manage our charging so we remember to power our cars when the sun is shining," said Aki Marceau, Hawaiian Electric's director of electrification of transportation. "It also helps Hawaiian Electric understand how to better serve current and future customers with electric vehicles. We hope to create a system that allows for our communities to easily take advantage of all the renewable energy on Hawaiian Electric's grid, a critical step to meeting Hawaii's 2045 zero emission goals."
Smart Charge Hawaii was approved by regulators and developed with input from those involved in electric transportation, including members of the Drive Electric Hawaii network. Collaborators realized that charging analytics could help identify customer charging patterns and allow Hawaiian Electric and others to operate more effectively in their support of EV charging.
Joseph Vellone, head of North America for ev.energy, said that the Smart Charge Hawaii program "is a key building block toward a future of clean, affordable transportation for everyone," and Michael Colon, Ulupono Initiative's energy director, said the program would help inform EV drivers' decisions.
"The Smart Charge Hawaii pilot is a great example of how collaboration between stakeholders can lead to effective solutions that give users deeper insights into EV charging behavior and, as a result, empowers pilot participants to make decisions that save money while reducing greenhouse gas emissions," Colon said.
Increasing EV energy demand is expected to result in net benefits for all customers as the utilities' fixed costs for generating and distributing energy are spread across a broader base, which would lower the cost to all customers, Hawaiian Electric said.
For more information or to sign up for the pilot program, visit smartchargehi.ev.energy.