THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

1000

THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

relating to electric vehicles.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 


     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that Hawaii currently has over one million gasoline-powered vehicles on its roads, which emits nearly five million metric tons of climate-changing carbon pollution annually.  Hawaii residents, businesses, and visitors spent over one and a half billion dollars on gasoline in 2018.

     Electric vehicles play an integral role in Hawaii's clean energy future.  Electric vehicles are much less expensive to power per mile than their gasoline counterparts.  By using stored electrical energy, electric vehicles can take advantage of intermittent solar, wind, and other clean energy resources.  With the continued growth of an intelligent electricity grid, electric vehicles become an essential component to electricity load and clean energy resource balancing.  They also provide clean mobility solutions for Hawaii residents and visitors.

     The legislature finds that about one per cent of all registered vehicles in Hawaii are electric.  This number is expected to rise exponentially as more electric vehicles come to market, vehicle ranges increase, and the cost of electric vehicles decreases.  Sales of electric vehicles in Hawaii increased about twenty-five per cent in 2018 since 2017, while sales of gasoline-powered vehicles only increased about one per cent.

     While there is growing interest in electric vehicles among Hawaii residents, the lack of adequate vehicle charging infrastructure presents a key barrier to adoption.  The International Energy Agency has found that "the availability of chargers emerged as one of the key factors for contributing to the market penetration of electric vehicles".  Unlike gasoline car owners, charging behavior for electric vehicle owners indicates that more than eighty per cent of electric vehicle drivers charge their cars at home or work.  In addition, a large share of the Hawaii population lives in high density, multi-family dwellings.  The vast majority of parking facilities are not currently being built to accommodate electric vehicle chargers.

     The legislature finds that requiring that a percentage of parking stalls be electric vehicle ready results in significant long-term savings for residents.  When electric vehicle readiness is considered in the design of a building or parking area, decisions about the lowest cost layout can be made, allowing building owners and operators to reduce the financial burden of modifying or upgrading electrical systems later, as well as avoid the construction costs and means of trenching or boring to lay conduit for electric vehicle charger installation.  To be electric vehicle ready, the parking stall would need to have sufficient wire, conduit, electrical panel service capacity, overcurrent protection devices, and suitable termination points to connect to an electric vehicle charger.

     The purpose of this Act is to require that at least twenty-five per cent of parking stalls for new multi-family dwelling and commercial parking areas be electric vehicle ready.

     SECTION 2.  Chapter 196, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to part I to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

     "§196‑    Electric vehicle charging required for new multi-family buildings and commercial buildings.  On or after January 1, 2020, no building permit shall be issued for a new multi-family residential building that has twenty or more parking stalls, or a new commercial building that has forty or more parking stalls, unless at least twenty-five per cent of the building's parking stalls are electric vehicle charger ready, as defined in this chapter."

     SECTION 3.  Section 196-2, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new definition to be appropriately inserted and to read as follows:

     ""Electric vehicle charger ready" means that sufficient wire, conduit, electrical panel service capacity, overcurrent protection devices, and suitable termination points are connected to an electric vehicle charger capable of providing a minimum of nine kilowatts of electrical capacity be provided."

     SECTION 4.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 5.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

 

INTRODUCED BY:

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Report Title:

Electric Vehicles; Charger Ready

 

Description:

Requires that on or after January 1, 2020, all new residential multi-family buildings that have twenty or more parking stalls and new commercial buildings that have forty or more parking stalls have at least twenty-five per cent of available parking stalls be electric vehicle charger ready.

 

 

 

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