Customers admire a Tesla Model 3 electric vehicle at a Tesla store in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Alex Tai | SOPA Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images
US consumers have made the transition to fully electric vehicles more slowly than many expected — but a growing leader in EV adoption is Hawaii.
The tropical island nation ranks fifth this year in overall EV adoption with 11.9 percent of new retail vehicles sold through February, according to JD Power.
Hawaii also ranks third – behind only California (46.1) and Washington (37) – in JD Power’s EV Adoption Score, which is weighted by the market, consumer preferences and availability of electric vehicles , among other conditions, with a score of 33.8.
“We measure adoption against availability, which means buyers need the availability of electric vehicles that meet their needs … before they even consider adopting,” said Elizabeth Krear, vice president of electric vehicles at JD Power. “In California, the amount of electric vehicles is much higher than in Hawaii. But when consumers are given a viable option, 33% choose to buy the EV.”
Hawaii is also the top state for EV adoption that does not have an agreement with the California Air Resources Board Zero Emission Vehicle Program, according to JD Power. Those rules promote EVs and include stricter vehicle emissions and mileage standards for traditional vehicles in places that have adopted the measure, including the other top five states: California, Washington, Oregon and Colorado.
Why Hawaii?
What is happening in Hawaii that is driving more consumers to choose electric vehicles? It’s a combination of things but mainly high fuel costs, availability of renewables for charging and culture, according to Ivan Drury, idea manager at the Edmunds car research company, who lives in Waikiki on the island of Oahu, Hawaii.
“There’s a higher sense of responsibility for stewardship of the land than most mainland states. If you look at ‘Aina’ in Hawaii, you’ll know what I mean, a lot of pride in the land,” he said.
Drury also said the popularity of hybrid models in the state (at 19 percent in 2023) has helped drive the shift to EVs, and concerns about road trips — an obstacle for some U.S. buyers — aren’t really an issue in Hawaii.
“We’re on an island. Nobody really worries about road trips unless they live on the Big Island,” he said. (For reference, the “Hawaii Belt” around the Big Island, or the island of Hawaii, is only about 260 miles.)
Gasoline prices also play a factor, as they do in other states, such as California. The average price for a gallon of natural gas in Hawaii is about $4.72, according to AAA. That’s the highest in the U.S. outside of California and $1.10 higher than the national average of $3.62 a gallon.
JD Power reports that the top selling EVs in the state are the Tesla Model Y, Tesla Model 3 and Passage F-150 Lightning.
“I’m very happy. I like the car. I like not buying gas,” said Scott Sageman, a 2021 Tesla Model 3 owner who has lived on the Big Island of Hawaii since moving from California in 2020.
Aloha Kia Leeward in Waipahu, Hawaii
Aloha Kia
Russell Wong, regional vice president of Aloha Kia’s seven stores in Hawaii, said customer interest in electric cars continues to grow, but the vehicles still only make up about 2 percent of store sales.
“While it’s a significant percentage of our current sales compared to other dealers or other markets, it’s still a very, very small percentage,” he said. “We see it continuing to rise.”
Wong said there is a lot of interest in Kia’s new EV9 SUV that is just arriving at dealerships. The current best-selling EV in Kia dealerships is the Niro, which is also Kia’s least expensive all-electric vehicle, and Aloha Kia has priced it from around $36,000.
EV concerns
While Hawaii is embracing electric vehicles more than some of its peers, it still has many of the same problems with EV adoption that the US mainland faces, including a lack of charging infrastructure, affordability and lack of vehicle options.
ONE Gallup poll released Monday found that less than half of U.S. adults, 44 percent, say they are either “seriously considering or might consider” buying an EV, down from 55 percent in 2023. The percentage who don’t plan to buy an EV has increased from 41% to 48%.
Sageman, who lives on the side of a volcano, said he hasn’t experienced charging problems since he does it at home, but his Model 3’s estimated range may be less than expected due to the state’s hilly terrain.
“The only thing I’ve noticed is that you don’t pay much attention to the estimated range,” he said. “You’re not going to get the same amount if you do a lot of uphill driving.”
The average cost for a consumer to purchase an EV from a franchised dealer (excluding Tesla, Rivian and other consumer-facing brands) in Hawaii this year is more than $62,600, according to Edmunds. That’s down from more than $68,500 last year and about $12,700 above the average price of a vehicle in Hawaii.
High prices are a national and Hawaiian trend. Higher-income Americans across the country are the subgroup most likely to own an electric vehicle, with 14 percent doing so, up from 6 percent last year, according to the Gallup report.
“We’re kind of on the cutting edge of adoption,” Drury said. “For those who are able to take advantage of an EV, it works, it sells. For those who don’t, it won’t, for a long time. Overcoming infrastructure hurdles and the high cost of living is not something that can be taken care of in overnight or even within a few years.”