Customer Service

Frequently Asked Questions

Several federal income tax rebates are available for the purchase of new and pre-owned EVs.

New EVs purchased after January 1, 2023 may be eligible for a federal income tax credit of up to $7,500. The availability of the credit will depend on several factors, including the vehicle's MSRP, its final assembly location, battery component and/or critical minerals sourcing, and your modified adjusted gross income (AGI).

New EVs purchased before January 1, 2023 may also be eligible for a federal income tax credit of up to $7,500, based on each vehicle’s traction battery capacity and the gross vehicle weight rating. The credit will be phased out for each manufacturer in which a minimum of 200,000 qualified Plug-in Electric Vehicles (PEVs) have been sold by that manufacturer for use in the United States. Tesla is one example that has reached the cap and is no longer eligible for the credit.

Pre-owned EVs purchased on or after January 1, 2023, may be eligible for a federal income tax credit equal to 30% of the sale price, up to a maximum credit of $4,000.

For more details on federal & state incentives, please visit the U.S. Department of Energy web site at https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/taxcenter.shtml. Consult your personal financial advisor or tax preparer if you have questions.

Hawaii Energy is administrating a rebate for networked Level 2 charging stations and DC fast charging stations installed at commercial or multi-family residential properties. Conditions apply; please visit Hawaii Energy’s EV Charging Station Rebate website for more details.

Under the Federal Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Tax Credit, EV charging equipment may be eligible for a tax credit of 30% of the cost, or 6% in the case of property subject to depreciation, not to exceed $100,000. Additional location-based restrictions apply. Please visit the US Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center website for details, or consult your personal financial advisor or tax preparer if you have questions.

Under the Smart Charge Hawaii program, the following incentives are available to customers:

  • Discounts are offered on the purchase of a smart charging station from EnelX
  • A $150 cash incentive or 10,000 HawaiianMiles are offered for connecting your eligible EV or smart charger to ev.energy’s platform

Hawaiian Electric does not install customer-owned EV charging stations at customer premises. For assistance with EV charger installation, please consult a licensed and qualified electrical contractor who specializes in the installation of EV charging stations. Consider requesting quotes from a few installers to ensure that you find the solution that best fits your needs. Hawaii Energy’s Clean Energy Allies list is one resource that can help you find local installers.

If your contractor or consultant determined that your facility’s electrical service must be upgraded to support an EV charging station, they may submit a Service Request via Hawaiian Electric’s Customer Interconnection Tool.

Under a pilot project, Hawaiian Electric installed utility-owned and operated public DC fast charging stations at publicly accessible sites. While this pilot program is currently fully subscribed, Hawaiian Electric has filed an application with the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to expand the program with an additional 300 publicly-accessible EV charging ports. This expansion application is currently under the PUC’s review. Please stay tuned to Hawaiian Electric’s website for updates.

Any business can provide charging to customers or employees for a fee or as a service. If your business wishes to do so, please consult a licensed and qualified electrical contractor who specializes in the installation of EV charging stations. Consider requesting quotes from a few installers to ensure that you find the solution that best fits your needs. Hawaii Energy’s Clean Energy Allies list is one resource that can help you find local installers.

Hawaiian Electric does not need to be involved unless you require a new or upgraded electrical service. Your licensed electrical contractor should be able to evaluate your existing electrical infrastructure, and determine whether a new or upgraded service is required. If they determine that your facility’s electrical service must be upgraded to support an EV charging station, they may submit a Service Request via Hawaiian Electric’s Customer Interconnection Tool.

Hawaiian Electric has several commercial EV charging rates, specifically tailored to the large demand requirements of EV charging stations, and designed to reduce the EV charger operating costs.

Commercial customers:

Schedules EV-J and EV-P can save qualifying commercial customers up to 58% on their bills compared to standard commercial rates, through lower demand charges and a time-of-use structure. EV-J and EV-P are available to qualifying commercial customers through March 17, 2027 as part of a pilot program. Enrollment is limited to 1,000 separately metered customer accounts for EV-J, and 500 separately metered customer accounts for EV-P.

Bus operators:

Schedules EBUS-J and EBUS-P enable bus fleet customers to benefit from lower prices that encourage charging during the Mid-Day period (9 AM – 5 PM) when there is abundant solar energy on the grid, and overnight during the Off-Peak period (10 PM – 9 AM) when electricity demand is low. Demand charges typically paid by commercial customers are also eliminated during the Mid-Day and Off-Peak periods.

Residential customers:

Hawaiian Electric does not currently have any residential EV-specific or time-of-use (TOU) rates available for enrollment.

For more information on these rates, or to enroll, please contact Hawaiian Electric at GoEV@hawaiianelectric.com.

With time-of-use (TOU) rates, you pay less per kilowatt-hour during times when there is more renewable energy available on the electrical grid, and you pay more per kilowatt-hour when electricity demand is higher. This is to incentivize customers to shift their EV charging to times when electricity demand is low, which helps us operate our system more efficiently, and keep your costs down. Please see the Rates and Enrollment page for more information.

Unfortunately, Hawaiian Electric does not currently have any residential EV-specific or time-of-use (TOU) rates available for enrollment.

Schedule TOU-RI, was closed to new customers effective October 31, 2022, as Hawaiian Electric is in the process of developing new residential TOU rates as directed by the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission. Until these new rates are approved and opened for enrollment, Hawaiian Electric does not have any residential TOU rates available for new enrollment. Please stay tuned to our website for updates.

The effective rates for Schedules EV-J and EV-P are available here.

Hawaiian Electric’s public DC fast charge station rates are available here.

For details on the specific terms and charges for each rate, please refer to Hawaiian Electric’s rate sheets or tariffs.

You need to contact your utility and request to be returned to regular residential rates. Customers on a special EV rate, such as TOU EV or a separately metered rate, must maintain proof of EV ownership to remain on the rate. Customers on such a rate must notify their utility if they no longer own an EV.

Customers who stop participation in a TOU rate are no longer eligible to enroll in a TOU at a later date.