UH Maui College Plays Lead Role in Maui's National Plug-In Day

Island Buzzing as Maui Celebrates its First National Plug In Day
By: UH Maui College
 
Sept. 17, 2012 - PRLog -- Kahului, HI — September 13, 2012 — Join Maui’s electric vehicle (or “EV”) drivers and enthusiasts to celebrate Maui’s first National Plug In Day on Friday, September 21st and Saturday, September 22nd.  The day is organized on Maui by UH Maui College’s MauiEVA Project and the Maui Electric Auto Association to highlight the fun, clean-air benefits and cost-savings of electric cars as part of the second annual National Plug In Day.  

The event will kick-off at 10:30 a.m. Friday, September 21st in the parking lot fronting the Maui County Building in Wailuku with a ribbon-cutting for Maui’s first DC Fast Charging Station and Wailuku Town’s first public electric vehicle charging station.  The DC Fast Charger from Aerovironment can charge an all-electric vehicle like the Nissan Leaf in as little as twenty minutes, curing “range anxiety” and paving the way for the next generation of electric vehicle owners on Maui.  There will be a blessing of the charging station by four-time Grammy Award winner George Kahumoku, Jr., ribbon cutting, inaugural charge, and Proclamation of National Plug In Day by Mayor Alan M. Arakawa.

Maui National Plug In Day will continue on Saturday, September 22nd from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Maui Swap Meet and UH Maui College.  Inside the Maui Swap Meet, MauiEVA and the newly formed Maui Electric Auto Association will have a booth where Maui electric vehicle owners will answer questions about the EV ownership experience and demonstrate the all-electric Nissan Leaf.  Just outside the Maui Swap Meet, in the UH Maui College parking lot, event partners Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Jim Falk Motors, and Maui Toyota will offer free ride-n-drives of electric cars, including the all-electric Nissan Leaf, extended-range electric Chevy Volt, and the Plug In Prius hybrid.  

"Enterprise Rent-A-Car, which was the first rental car company to bring EV's into the Hawaii market, is very proud to support Maui's first National Plug In Day.  Enterprise is also excited to now offer the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt for rent in Maui," stated Chris Sbarbaro, Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Enterprise.  Enterprise Rent-A-Car will be offering a drawing for a free weekend electric car rental at the event.

MauiEVA Project partners Bio-Beetle ECO Rental Cars and Hawaiian Electric Vehicle Network (HEVN), an all EV rental operation starting on Maui in early 2013 and the State of Hawaiʻi’s first organized Sustainable Business Corporation, will also be featured.  HEVN’s Michael Snyder summed up the philosophy behind the day’s events, “EVs in Hawai`i using renewable energy is a natural fit.”  There will also be an electric scooter showcased by Paradise Scooters,an electric scooter rental company coming to Maui in late 2012, and electric bicycles from Maui Electric Cruisers, an electric bicycle sales and rental company based in Kihei.

Maui’s event is one of more than 60 across the country where electric vehicle owners and interested citizens from Maui to New York will participate in electric car parades, “tailpipe-free” tailgate parties, awards to leaders promoting EV-readiness, launches of new public EV charging stations, and other events.  

For a complete list of Plug In Day events and event details, visit: www.pluginday.org.  Those registering to attend one of Maui’s two events at www.pluginday.org can also enter to win a free iPad from national organizer Plug In America.

Maui National Plug In Day Kick-Off

Friday, September 21st
10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Maui County Building in Wailuku

- Blessing by Grammy-Award winner George Kahumoku, Jr.
- Proclamation by Mayor Alan Arakawa
- Maui National Plug In Day and Electric Vehicle Test Drives

Saturday, September 22nd
7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Maui Swap Meet and UH Maui College parking lot

- Featuring Test-Drives of Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt
- Drawing for a free weekend rental of electric car from Enterprise Rent-A-Car

For more event details, visit: www.pluginday.org

Local sponsors: UH Maui College’s MauiEVA Project, Maui Electric Auto Association, and Maui Swap Meet.

About the Electric Auto Association: The Electric Auto Association, formed in 1967, is a nonprofit educational organization with 75 chapters worldwide that promotes the advancement and widespread adoption of electric vehicles. www.electricauto.org.  Maui Electric Auto Association was formed in August, 2012, by Maui’s electric auto owners.

About Maui EVA: Maui Electric Vehicle Alliance (MauiEVA) is the name of an electric vehicle planning project led by the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College. Initially funded in 2011 with a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy as part of its Clean Cities Initiative Awards, MauiEVA’s mission is to create an implementation plan that will get Maui ready for EVs.

MEDIA: For more information, contact Christine Andrews, Founding President, Maui Electric Auto Association, mauiwit@hotmail.com, 808-250-3678 or Anne Ku, Project Director, UH Maui College MauiEVA (Electric Vehicle Alliance) Project, anneku@hawaii.edu, 808-984-3351

(Photo credit: Jenna Thomas)
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Source:UH Maui College
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