Senator wants to add teeth to Hawaii electric vehicle parking law with fines up to $20k

Pacific Business News - January 26, 2015

By: Duane Shimogawa

A Hawaii state senator wants to add teeth to the state's current electric vehicle parking law by imposing hefty fines of up to $20,000 on owners of parking lots with 100 or more parking stalls open to the public that don't have at least one parking space with an EV charging station.

"Many big-box stores have failed to comply [with the current law]," state Sen. Mike Gabbard, D-Kapolei-Makakilo-Ewa, chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Environment, told PBN in an email. "The problem is that Act 89 doesn't have any penalties."

That's why he has introduced Senate Bill 99, which would add penalties for not complying with the law, Act 89, which requires the charging stations for EVs and was passed about three years ago.

Gabbard's bill proposes that, starting Jan. 1, 2016, the businesses that do not have at least one parking stall with an EV charging station be fined $1,000 for the first violation, $5,000 for the second violation, $10,000 for the third violation and $20,000 for the fourth violation and any subsequent violation.