Transportation Working Group
The Transportation working group is dedicated to promoting mass transit and establishing a sustainable alternative-fuel strategy to help reduce Hawai‘i's dependence on imported oil.
Goals
A primary goal of this working group is to help accelerate the adoption of alternative-fuel vehicles in Hawai‘i.
Short-Term Objectives
The Transportation working group is working toward the following short-term objectives:
- Expand the use of hybrid vehicles used in the O‘ahu (City and County of Honolulu) transit bus system.
- Establish a network of 200 electric vehicle charging stations for electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs).
- Provide training to emergency personnel and mechanics.
- Provide public education and outreach on advanced technology and alternative-fuel vehicles.
- Discuss and analyze legislation/policy issues for 2010.
Issues and Challenges
The Transportation working group must address a number of questions (with help from the Integration working group):
- Systems—What are the data and information needs related to vehicles, smart grid, renewable energy, and infrastructure (e.g., buildings, parking lots)?
- Load management
- Where and when will people plug in?
- How will the load be managed (via "smart grid") or not?
- What is the impact of eventual two-way power flow, demand response, load matching to renewable generation, rate schedule, design, etc.?
- Education and implementation—What role will the education of local code officials play in developing codes and standards (e.g., for interconnection of PHEVs)?
With help from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Transportation working group will study and analyze
- Vehicle technologies
- Electric vehicles
- Utility grid integration hardware and infrastructure
- Grid and vehicles; hardware selection for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles
- Hawai‘i Clean Energy Initiative/Better Place/EPRI/HECO—fleets planning-stage work with utilities to direct incentives
- Smart infrastructure for electric vehicle charging
- Industry partners and stakeholders
- Fleets—commercial (medium-heavy)
- Reliability
- Overall cost
- Duty cycle
- Mass modeling task
- PHEV or both
- Electric drive or carbon
- Impact of vehicle model choice on fleets
- How energy priorities change vehicle choices
- Private vehicle choices provide tools for fleet managers
- Travel activity, travel demand forecasting
- Long-term data for fuel choice volume flows
- Contacts at petroleum companies and rental car fleets
- Economics.
Milestones
In May 2009, the Transportation working group submitted a proposal in response to DOE's Clean Cities Solicitation for cost-shared projects that expand the use of alternative-fuel vehicles and fueling infrastructure as well as advanced technology vehicles. Partners include
- State of Hawai‘i Energy Office (project management, data collection, reporting)
- Honolulu Clean Cities (training and outreach)
- City and County of Honolulu (hybrid bus acquisition)
- Hawaiian Electric (PHEV conversion)
- Maui Electric (PHEV conversion)
- Better Place (electric vehicle charging).
Contacts
- Margaret Larson, DBEDT—Transportation working group co-chair
- Terry Penny, NREL—Transportation working group co-chair
