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HONOLULU (KHON2) — The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) is going green by adding nine electric vehicles to its fleet.
The vehicles will replace 9 gasoline-powered cars in HDOT’s possession by the end of May.
By that timeline, the department will have replaced 34 vehicles with electric ones.
But, Hawaii isn’t buying these new vehicles.
Instead, it’s paying for them and the charging stations by the mile as part of a service contract.
HDOT says this allows the state to save 75% in vehicle maintenance costs over the life of the vehicle and an estimated $287 dollars per vehicle in fuel costs.
The department adds that each EV is expected to save an estimated 8,700 pounds of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere annually.
“We were definitely excited to begin the service contract with Sustainability Partners as converting our aging vehicles to EVs is another way HDOT is saving money and working towards the state’s goal of reducing fuel consumption in ground transportation by 70% by 2030,” said Hawaii Department of Transportation Deputy Director for Highways Ed Sniffen. “Public and private ground transportation is a huge contributor to carbon dioxide emissions. This service contract, that is available to all state and county agencies, could expedite government fleet conversions and help lead the way for increased private adoption of EV.”
