Just days after announcing a similar initiative in San Francisco, Better Place today unveiled a plan to bring an electric-car network to Hawaii.
Shai Agassi, Founder and CEO of Better Place made the announcement with Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle.
Better Place plans to begin permitting for the network within the next year and begin introducing vehicles within 18 months, with mass-market availability of electric cars in 2012. Hawaii joins Israel, Denmark, Australia and California on the list of networks under development by Better Place.
Better Place plans to offer electric transportation as a service, with drivers paying to access a network of charging stations. Agassi has suggested that electric vehicles may even be supplied to customers as part of the service plan.
“Hawaii, with its ready access to renewable energy resources like solar, wind, wave and geothermal, is the ideal location to serve as a blueprint for the rest of the U.S. in terms of reducing our dependence on foreign oil, growing our renewable energy portfolio and creating an infrastructure that will stabilize our economy,” Agassi said.
Hawaiian Electric Companies and Better Place Hawaii also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on the infrastructure and energy needs to power Better Place’s unique network of public charging spots and battery swapping stations with renewable energy.
“Today’s announcement is a significant move towards our state gaining independence from foreign oil. This public-private partnership is exactly the type of investment we have been working on as we continue to carry out our Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI), moving toward the goal of 70% clean energy for the State of Hawaii,” Governor Lingle said.
Hawaii spends up to $7 billion a year on oil imports and drivers pay some of the highest gasoline prices in the nation. The carbon produced from consumer vehicles utilizing foreign oil account for nearly 20% of the state’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions.
The arrival of Better Place Hawaii furthers the progress of the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI) signed in January–with the goal to meet the state’s energy needs from 70% clean energy by 2030. Follow the link below to read the New York Times editorial "Hawaii’s Moon Shot."
Loading...