UH Hilo to Host Talk on Electric Vehicles

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo hosts a free public presentation featuring two members of the Maui EV (Electric Vehicle) Alliance on Tuesday, February 26 at 2 p.m. in UCB 127.

Maui EVAProject Director Dr. Anne Ku and Ethan Elkind, climate policy associate at the UC Berkeley School of Law, will discuss a recent study done to prepare Maui for EV’s. EV’s in Paradise: Planning for Developing Infrastructure in Maui Count, examined barriers, incentives, and other issues that can serve as templates for other isolated grids and island communities with similar challenges.

Ku, who lectures in mathematics and music (piano) at UH Maui College, holds degrees in electrical engineering, operations research/decision sciences, and music. She writes a regular column for Maui Weekly called “EV in Paradise,” and directs the monthly “Maui EVA TV” which airs on cable and YouTube.

Elkind has organized and facilitated high-level stakeholder meetings on various energy-related topics such as energy storage, renewable energy, energy efficiency and electric vehicles. He has also written and published numerous studies on energy-related matters for California policy makers including “Electric Drive by ’25: How California Can Catalyze Mass Adoption of Electric Vehicles by 2025,” published in September 2012.

Maui EV Alliance (Maui EVA) is the name given to UH Maui’s EV readiness project. Maui EVA was the only education institution to receive one of 16 planning grants awarded in October 2011 by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities program. It was also named the most innovative electric vehicle readiness project in the country by Green Tech Media in December 2012.

For more information, visit http://www.mauieva.org/.

Big Island Events Cancelled and Postponed Due to Weather

  • Ocean Day Mālama Kanaloa Festival postponed!  The University of Hawai`i at Hilo’s 2013 Ocean Day Mālama Kanaloa Festival has been postponed due to current and forecasted weather conditions.  The festival was scheduled for Saturday, February 23 at Hilo Bayfront Beach Park. The event is now scheduled for Sunday, April 21!
  • The Hawaii County Department of Parks and Recreation has canceled today’s Keaau Track Meet due to heavy rain and flooding. No make-up date has been set.