THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

653

THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019

S.D. 1

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's dependence on imported fossil fuels drains the state economy of billions of dollars each year.  Furthermore, ground transportation accounts for approximately one-third of all imported oil consumed in the State.  The volatility of imported fuel prices creates significant risks for the economy and adds to costs for local families.  However, in order for local consumers and families to benefit from these alternative vehicles and transition away from fossil fuel vehicles, Hawaii must be prepared with critical infrastructure elements, such as electric vehicle charging stations.

     The legislature further finds that other municipalities have set standards for new construction to include "EV ready" parking stalls so that electric vehicle charging stations can be efficiently added at significantly reduced costs when the property owner or manager chooses to add electric vehicle charging stations in the future.

     Currently, the majority of electric vehicle drivers use their home as a primary site for charging their vehicles.  Thus, in order to increase the use of electric vehicles the State needs to expand charging access in new state and county building construction.  Estimates show that electric vehicle infrastructure costs are less than one per cent of the total construction cost of a project.  Additionally, retrofitting buildings post-construction can cost more than three times the total initial estimated amount it would cost in a new construction.  Hence, this Act will enable the State's or county's new construction to save additional infrastructure expenses when installing electric vehicle charging stations.

     The purpose of this Act is to require that the infrastructure of new state or county building construction include an allocation of parking stalls for electric vehicle charging stations.  This Act does not require the allocation of parking stalls to be dedicated to electric vehicles upon being made electric vehicle charger ready.

     SECTION 2.  Section 107-21, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new definition to be appropriately inserted and to read as follows:

     ""County building construction" means any building construction project or program initiated by a county agency or requiring the use of county funds."

     SECTION 3.  Section 107-25, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

     "§107-25  Hawaii state building codes; new state building construction and county building construction; requirements.  (a)  There is established the Hawaii state building codes applicable to all construction in the State of Hawaii.  The Hawaii state building codes shall be based upon:

     (1)  The state fire code as adopted by the state fire council;

     (2)  The Uniform Plumbing Code, as copyrighted and published by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, including its appendices;

     (3)  The International Building Code, the International Residential Code, and the International Energy Conservation Code, as published by the International Code Council;

     (4)  The National Electrical Code, as published by the National Fire Protection Association;

     (5)  Hawaii design standards implementing the criteria pursuant to Act 5, Special Session Laws of Hawaii[,] 2005, as applicable to:

          (A)  Emergency shelters built to comply with hurricane resistant criteria, including enhanced hurricane protection areas capable of withstanding a five hundred-year hurricane event as well as other storms and natural hazards; and

          (B)  Essential government facilities requiring continuity of operations; and

     (6)  Code provisions based on nationally published codes or standards that include but are not limited to residential and hurricane resistant standards related to loss mitigation standards in accordance with section 431P-12, elevator, mechanical, flood and tsunami, existing buildings, and onsite sewage disposal.

     (b)  Any Hawaii state building codes adopted pursuant to subsection (a)(3) shall require all new state building construction and county building construction from the ground up, or a significant reconstruction altering an existing structure such that the overall square footage changes by the lesser of twenty-five per cent or seven thousand five hundred square feet, dedicate at least twenty per cent of its total projected amount of parking stalls to be electric vehicle charger ready within a new state or county building's parking structure; provided that this subsection shall not apply to renovations or retrofits that do not change the overall square footage by less than twenty-five per cent or seven thousand five hundred square feet; provided further that this subsection shall not apply to any adjacent existing structures on the site that are not being renovated or listed on the permit application.

     In no case shall the number of parking stalls that are electric vehicle charger ready at a new state or county building construction project be less than two.

     As used in this section, "electric vehicle charger ready" means having sufficient wire, conduit, electric vehicle charger capable of providing a minimum of 208- or 240-volt branch circuit."

     SECTION 4.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.  New statutory material is underscored.

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



 

Report Title:

Electric Vehicles; Charging Stations; New State and County Buildings; Parking Stalls

 

Description:

Requires certain new state building construction and county building construction projects to dedicate at least twenty per cent of its total projected amount of parking stalls to be electric vehicle charger ready and requires that all new state building construction and county building construction have at least two electric vehicle charger ready parking stalls.  (SD1)

 

 

 

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