Why Hawaii is becoming a leader in U.S. EV adoption

U.S.
consumers
have
been
making
the
move
to
all-electric
vehicles
more

slowly
than
many
expected
—
but
a
growing
leader
in
EV
adoption
is
Hawaii.

The
tropical
island
state
this
year
ranks
fifth
in
overall
EV
adoption
at
11.9%
of
new
retail
vehicles
sold
through
February,
according
to
J.D.
Power.

Hawaii
also
ranks
third
–
behind
only
California
(46.1)
and
Washington
(37)
–
in
J.D.
Power’s “EV
Adoption
Score,”
which
is
weighted
based
on
market,
consumer
preference
and
EV
availability,
among
other
conditions,
with
a
score
of
33.8.

“We
measure
adoption
relative
to
availability,
meaning
shoppers
need
availability
of
EVs
that
meet
their
needs
…
before
they
can
even
consider
adopting,”
said
Elizabeth
Krear,
vice
president
of
the
electric
vehicle
practice
at
J.D.
Power. “In
California,
the
quantity
of
EVs
is
much
higher
than
in
Hawaii.
But
when
consumers
are
given
a
viable
option,
33%
are
choosing
to
buy
the
EV.”

Hawaii
also
is
the
top
state
for
EV
adoption
that
hasn’t
agreed
to
the
California
Air
Resources
Board’s

Zero-Emission
Vehicle
program,
according
to
J.D.
Power.
Those
rules
promote
EVs
and
include
stricter
vehicle
emissions
and
miles
per
gallon
standards
for
traditional
vehicles
in
places
that
have
adopted
the
measure,
including
the
other
top
five
states:
California,
Washington,
Oregon
and
Colorado.

What’s
going
on
in
Hawaii
that’s
leading
to
more
consumers
opting
for
EVs?
It’s
a
mix
of
things
but
mainly
high
fuel
costs,
the
availability
of
renewable
energy
for
charging
and
culture,
according
to
Ivan
Drury,

director
of
insights
at
auto
research
firm
Edmunds,
who
lives
in
Waikiki
on
Hawaii’s
Oahu
Island.

“There
is
a
higher
sense
of
responsibility
towards
stewarding
the
land
versus
most
mainland
states.
If
you
look
up ‘Aina’
in
Hawaiian,
you
see
what
I
mean,
lots
of
pride
for
the
land,”
he
said.

Drury
also
said
the
popularity
of

hybrid
models
in
the
state
(at
19%
in
2023)
has
helped
in
the
switch
to
EVs,
and
road
trip
concerns
–
a
hurdle
for
some
buyers
in
the
U.S.
–
aren’t
really
a
problem
in
Hawaii.

“We’re
on
an
island.
No
one
is
really
worried
about
road
trips
unless
they
live
on
the
Big
Island,”
he
said.
(For
reference,
the “Hawaii
Belt”
around
the
Big
Island,
or
Hawaii
Island,
is
only
about
260
miles.)

Gasoline
prices
also
play
a
factor,
as
they
do
in
other
states,
such
as
California.
The
average
price
for
a
gallon
of
gas
in
Hawaii
is
about
$4.72,

according
to
AAA.
That’s
the
highest
in
the
U.S.
other
than
California
and
$1.10
higher
than
the
national
average
of
$3.62
a
gallon.

J.D.
Power
reports
the
top-selling
EVs
in
the
state
are
the


Tesla
Model
Y,
Tesla
Model
3
and


Ford
F-150
Lightning.

“I’m
really
happy.
I
like
the
car.
I
like
not
buying
gas,”
said
Scott
Sageman,
a
2021
Tesla
Model
3
owner
who
has
lived
on
Hawaii’s
Big
Island
since
moving
from
California
in
2020.

Russell
Wong,
regional
vice
president
of
Aloha
Kia’s
seven
stores
in
Hawaii,
said
customer
interest
in
EVs
continues
to
grow
but
the
vehicles
still
remain
only
about
2%
of
the
stores’
sales.

“While
it
is
a
significant
percentage
of
our
current
sales
compared
to
other
dealers
or
other
markets,
it’s
still
a
very,
very
small
percentage,”
he
said. “We
do
see
that
continuing
to
climb.”

Wong
said
there’s
been
a
lot
of
interest
in

Kia’s
new
EV9
SUV
that’s
just
arriving
to
dealerships.
The
current
top-selling
EV
at
the
Kia
dealerships
is
the
Niro,
which
also
is
Kia’s
least
expensive
all-electric
vehicle,
and
Aloha
Kia
has
priced
it
starting
at
about
$36,000.

Although
Hawaii
is
embracing
electric
vehicles
more
than
some
of
its
peers,
it
still
has
many
of
the
same
problems
with
EV
adoption
that
the
U.S.
mainland
does,
including
lack
of
charging
infrastructure,
affordability
and
a
dearth
of
vehicle
choices.

A

Gallup
poll
released
Monday
found
less
than
half
of
U.S.
adults,
44%,
say
they
are
either “seriously
considering
or
might
consider”
buying
an
EV,
which
is
down
from
55%
in
2023.
The
proportion
not
intending
to
buy
an
EV
has
increased
from
41%
to
48%.

Sageman,
who
lives
on
the
slope
of
a
volcano,
said
he
has
not
experienced
problems
charging,
as
he
does
so
at
home,
but
the
estimated
range
of
his
Model
3
can
be
less
than
expected
due
to
the
state’s
hilly
terrain.

“The
one
thing
that
I’ve
noticed
is
you
do
not
pay
too
much
attention
to
the
estimated
range,”
he
said. “You’re
not
going
to
get
the
same
amount
if
you’re
doing
a
lot
of
uphill
driving.”
 

The
average
cost
to
a
consumer
buying
an
EV
from
a
franchised
dealer
(excluding
Tesla,


Rivian
and
other
direst-to-consumer
brands)
in
Hawaii
this
year
is
more
than
$62,600,
according
to

Edmunds.
That’s
down
from
more
than
$68,500
last
year
and
roughly
$12,700
over
the
average
price
of
a
vehicle
in
Hawaii. 

High
prices
are
a
national
and
Hawaiian
trend.
Upper-income
Americans
across
the
country
are
the
subgroup
most
likely
to
own
an
EV,
with
14%
doing
so,
up
from
6%
last
year,
according
to
the
Gallup
report.

“We’re
sort
of
at
the
extreme
ends
of
adoption,”
Drury
said. “For
those
in
a
position
to
take
advantage
of
an
EV,
it
works,
sold.
For
those
that
it
doesn’t,
it
won’t,
for
a
very
long
time.
Overcoming
the
obstacles
of
infrastructure
and
high
costs
of
living
aren’t
something
that
can
be
taken
care
of
overnight
or
even
within
a
few
years.”