Electric vehicle drivers on Oʻahu and Maui may face temporary fast-charging disruptions this week as the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation upgrades two NEVI-funded hubs with North American Charging Standard plugs at Aloha Tower Marketplace and Kahului Park & Ride. Some equipment will be offline during the scheduled work, but both locations will retain multiple connector types after the upgrade.
Schedule and scope of the upgrade
According to a news release from the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation, crews will install NACS connectors during maintenance from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 6 at Aloha Tower Marketplace and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7 at the Kahului Park & Ride. Each site has four 150 kilowatt DC fast chargers, and after the work each station will have two chargers with CCS+NACS and two with CCS+CHAdeMO.
What drivers will pay and how the chargers will work
The stations are open 24 hours, and the chargers are 150 kilowatt DC fast units that support multiple connector types so most EVs can charge either directly or with an adapter. As reported by Maui Now, the rate schedule is $0.44 per kWh from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and $0.57 per kWh from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m.
Why NACS matters
NACS, the plug style Tesla popularized, has been widely adopted by automakers and charging networks, according to Car and Driver, so adding the connector reduces friction for drivers who own NACS equipped vehicles. The upgrade also ties into federal NEVI goals around interoperability and a national charging network, according to the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation.
Where the statewide network is headed
The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation says the NACS installations are part of a larger NEVI buildout that will include 11 charging stations statewide and that two additional hubs, at Kapalua Airport on Maui and the Princeville Library on Kauaʻi, are already under construction. The agency notes work is weather permitting and schedules may shift, so drivers should expect brief, planned outages when crews are on site.
How to plan for the brief downtime
Drivers who depend on the Kahului chargers during the maintenance windows should plan to use alternate chargers or time their sessions for outside the scheduled hours. For changes or day-of updates, HDOT posts schedule information on its social pages and through local outlets, per reporting from Maui Now.
