Hawaii

Why is it like this in Hawaii?

Hawaii has the highest residential electricity rates in the United States — about 39.9¢/kWh — driven by near-total dependence on imported petroleum for power generation. Despite gasoline prices that are also the highest in the country, the per-mile cost of charging exceeds the per-mile cost of gasoline. Hawaii is the only state where this is structural rather than the product of a temporary gas-price spike. Through 2024 and 2025, the math consistently favored filling up. The Iran conflict has temporarily reversed that: with gas now above $5.50/gal, electricity is currently cheaper per mile at conflict-elevated prices — a reversal driven by the gas price spike, not by any improvement in Hawaii's electricity costs. At pre-conflict baseline prices, gasoline is still cheaper, and the structural case for electricity is likely years away.

In the news · Hawaii

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  Hawaiʻi Residents Could Face Electric Rate Hike In 2026

  Honolulu Civil Beat · May 14, 2025

  Hawaiian Electric, already at ~42¢/kWh (the highest residential rate in the US), was preparing another rate hike for 2026 citing wildfire mitigation and insurance costs — making EV charging in Hawaii the most expensive in the nation and a poor value versus gas for many drivers.

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  EV Use Has Skyrocketed In Hawaiʻi. Why Is It So Hard To Find A Charger?

  Honolulu Civil Beat · Nov 1, 2025

  EV registrations have quadrupled in six years in Hawaii yet public charger growth has lagged, with under 1,000 public ports statewide — compounding the cost problem for PHEV drivers who can't rely on cheap home charging at 42¢/kWh.

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  Editorial: Solid reasons for HECO rate hike

  Honolulu Star-Advertiser · Mar 10, 2026

  The Star-Advertiser editorial board assessed HECO's proposed 2027 rate increase, acknowledging wildfire risk and infrastructure costs as legitimate drivers — reinforcing that Hawaii's already-extreme electricity prices are structurally likely to remain the highest in the US.

Curated coverage of Hawaii's EV/PHEV cost, policy, and infrastructure story. External links open in a new tab.

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