I’m still not a big fan just yet of this proposed Project Better Place idea that will be sweeping through Hawaii in the next few years.
Representatives from Miles Electric Vehicles, Phoenix Motorcars and Global Electric Motorcars say they believe the future is fast-charging stations, not battery-replacement stations, for electric vehicles.
…representatives of several electric-vehicle companies said fast-charging stations would be more successful in the United States than Project Better Place’s plan to exchange empty batteries for charged ones.
I was the first to blog about this project coming to Hawaii way back in September and I’m still skeptical about it.
Filed under: Environment, Hawaii, Technology, Transportation | Tagged: Environment, Hawaii, Project Better Place, Technology, Transportation |
Hawaii News and Island Information 
As I understand it, they expect you will be charging your car at home, work etc. The idea of the battery swap stations is for when you need to do more than 100 miles in a day without taking time to recharge. That is why you only need a few – you’d only really need them if you wanted to drive round the island in a day.
Damon –
What are your reservations about the project?
Damon – My primary reservations are that the proposed Re-charging stations that have been mapped out here on the Big Island will not be feasible at all. They are too spread out and at locations that are not real convenient for most Big Island Drivers. We will be driving close to 30-40 miles just to get a charge if the locations remain where they are currently scheduled to be in place.
This would work on a smaller island such as Oahu… but only 4 charging stations planned for the entire Big Island and they are just too spread out.