April 2, 2019—Hawaii residents are rather interested in EVs, KHON-TV reports. According to the station, numerous residents expressed interest in learning about EVs at Hawaii's recent auto show held at the Hawaii Convention Center.
"I’ve seen people come here and say, ‘I came here to test drive an electric vehicle," Jennifer Lieu, communication specialist at Ulupono Initiative said to KHON-TV.
According to the station, EV sales in the state are continuing to rise. Perks may be the cause, the station reports, as the current benefits for EV owners include the following: a $7,500 tax credit when you purchase the vehicle, free parking at airports and most parking structures, and riding in the HOV lane without a passenger.
Once the manufacturer sells 200,000 cars, however, the tax credit drops in half, KHON-TV reports.
"Electric vehicles have now reached about 8,000 on [Hawaii] roadways and now there's about a million cars on Oahu, so not quite one percent are electric yet,” David Rolf, executive director of Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association told the TV station.