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Big Island EV held a couple of Drive Electric Earth Day (DEED) events this weekend. A meet-up in Kailua Kona on April 23 and the main event in Hilo on April 24 at the Hawaii County Building in Hilo.

Kona Meet-up

The meet-up in Kailua Kona was hosted by BIEVA members Bill Bugbee and Doug Perrine. The team met up at the new shopping complex next to Safeway. It was cozy (mainly due to the last-minute decision to host the event) but informative, nevertheless. BIEVA VP, Richard Castro joined with his Chevy Volt. Nina C. brought her Shock Chevy Bolt. Jason S. of BMW of Hawaii brought the new BMW iX. Bill brought his Tesla Model S. Doug brought his Kia Niro PHEV. Bill G. joined with a new Ford Mustang Mach-e.

DEED in Hilo

The Hilo event was blessed by sunshine and many attendees – owners and guests. We were treated to many local EV owners showing up with their cars and providing attendees with a wide array of makes and models: Kia Niro, Kia EV6, MINI, Nissan LEAF, Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, Hyundai Kona Electric, Tesla Model 3, Tesla Model Y, Tesla Model S (P85+ and Plaid), Tesla Roadster, Chevy Bolt, Volvo XC 40, and BMW iX. We also had a Proterra electric bus, courtesy of Hawaii County.

BIEVA lead, Lorn Douglas, powered the event’s PA system (courtesy of Jared Terpak) with his Kia EV6.

Thomas Rodamer of BMW brought a new iX, the company’s latest all-electric offering. He offered attendees the opportunity to check out and drive the SUV.

Throughout the event, Roberts Hawaii offered the electric bus to participants for free rides around the block. (No diesel plume!!!)

Ryan Christopher’s Unplugged Performance Model S was a hit with the unusual iridescent wrap. This Model S is now well-known at the Hilo Dragstrip.

Mayor Roth shared information about the County’s sustainability efforts and the plans for the upgrade of the County’s EV charging infrastructure.

Special guests included Hawaii Mayor Mitch Roth, Hawaii County R&D Director Doug Adams, Richard Ha and Peter Sternlicht of Sustainable Energy Hawaii, Ruth Robison, Roberta Baker, and Ron Reilly of Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) Hawaii Island, and Jennifer Kagiwada who shared a message from County Council Member Heather Kimball.

CCL hosted an information booth where they shared information about the organization and its mission – creating the political will for effective climate policy. Chapter leader Ron Reilly lead the team’s tabling event. Learn more about CCL at cclhawaii.org.

CCL’s Ron Reilly

Sustainable Energy Hawaii hosted a booth where they shared information about their efforts to enable affordable renewable energy for Hawaii Island. You can learn more about this group at sustainableenergyhawaii.org.

Sustainable Energy Hawaii

Event Gallery

Courtesy of BIEVA’s photographer, Gary Miller.

Drive Electric Earth Day (DEED) is a month-long celebration of the electric vehicle. DEED national sponsors include Plug In America, Electric Vehicle Association, Sierra Club, and EVHybridNoire.

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Noel Morin