National Drive Electric Week - Kamuela

Day:	Saturday, September 14, 2019 NOTE: this event has already happened, find current-year events on the events page.
Time:	9AM-100PM
Location:	Waimea Center 65-1158 Mamalahoa Hwy Kamuela, HI 96743

Event Report

Our September 14, 2019 Kamuela event was a success. We had good weather for most of the event - a brief period of cool rain as a blessing towards the end. Thanks to many of our club members, including some that drove from as far away as Volcano, we managed to have 20 electric vehicles in our cozy parking area. Our lineup included the Nissan LEAF (first and second generation), Chevy Bolt and Volt, Kia Soul and Niro (the first car on the island), BMW i3, BYD SUV, Tesla Model 3, Model X, Model S, and Roadster.

Barbara Kossow, County Deputy Managing Director, who shared the Mayor’s proclamation of Drive Electric Week in the Hawaii County. She drove a Chevy Volt. Ron Reilly, Citizens’ Climate Lobby leader, shared his experience with the Kia Soul and information about the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act. Noel Morin shared the governor’s Drive Electric Week Proclamation. We also had a couple of members, Lorn and Cathy, shared their ownership stories.

Our local utility (Hawaii Electric Co.) joined and addressed questions regarding charging infrastructure. They brought the BYD SUV and showed off the DC Fast Charger that is located in the parking lot. A couple of solar energy outfits joined and addressed questions about solar requirements for EVs.

Importantly, we had a decent and steady flow of guests throughout the event. One drove from the other end of the island so she could check out the cars. One guest test-drove 3 different cars; she purchased a Chevy Bolt a few days later! Our great volunteers were kept busy throughout the event - we found them sequestered in their cars, explaining features and addressing questions, or driving/riding out of the lot with guests in their cars. We had about 50 conversations and about 30 guests during the event.

Thank you to the National Drive Electric Week national sponsors - Plug In America, Sierra Club, and Electric Auto Association; Waimea Center; Ulupono Initiative; Blue Planet Foundation; Citizens’ Climate Lobby; Barbara Kossow; and our volunteers for making our event possible.

Rick Castro and Noel Morin

PS - This year, the Hawaii Electric Vehicle Association (Hawaii EVA; the Hawaii Chapter of the EAA) hosted events on 3 islands - Hawaii, Oahu, and Kauai. We look forward to having all of our counties represented in next year's event. The Big Island EVA is a sub-chapter of Hawaii EVA.

photo by: Gary Miller
Tesla Roadster, BYD SUV, Tesla Model 3, Kia Niro, Tesla Model X.

More photos from this event.

Event Description

Join the Big Island Electric Vehicle Association for this year's Drive Electric Week event in Waimea (Kamuela). We plan to hold this event at Waimea Center's KTA parking lot (this is still to be confirmed).

This is a great opportunity to meet other electric car owners, to learn about electric car benefits and ownership experiences, and see the latest electric cars. If you have an electric car, please join us in celebration of sustainable transportation.

We expect to have representatives from local electric car dealers in attendance. They will share information about their latest electric cars.

We hope to see you there. Bring your family and friends!