Hawaii Electric Light Company, Inc.

Hawaii Electric Light does not offer a residential EV-specific time-of-use rate open to new customers on Hawaii Island. Its general residential time-of-use options are closed: Schedule TOU-RI closed to new customers on October 31, 2022, and the Shift and Save time-of-use pilot closed to new enrollment on February 1, 2025. Residential EV owners therefore charge on their standard residential rate, which does not vary by time of day. Households with rooftop solar can lower their charging cost by charging during daylight hours and using their own generation rather than buying from the grid.

There is no Hawaii Electric Light rebate for a home charger, so residential customers have no rebate to stack against a rate. On the commercial side, the picture is different: the Charge Up Commercial make-ready program pays for and installs the electrical infrastructure up to the charging equipment at eligible non-residential sites on Hawaii Island, Oahu, and in Maui County, and the equipment takes service on the commercial EV time-of-use Schedules EV-J or EV-P. Those EV time-of-use rates reward mid-day and overnight charging over the evening peak.

Hawaii Island sits on its own islanded grid with no connection to the other islands or the mainland, so charging load is balanced against locally generated solar, geothermal, and fossil generation. The EV-J and EV-P tariff pilot was extended by the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission through June 30, 2027, and the company must file a successor tariff application by June 30, 2026, after which the rate design may change. The Hawaiian Electric companies share program design, but enrollment and metering are handled by Hawaii Electric Light for Hawaii Island.