Are you in need of a charging station for your electric vehicle?

There is a limited time opportunity to get a free charging station (you just pay for shipping and tax). This is being offered as part of a Smart Charge Hawaii Program and is available to HELCO, HECO, and MECO customers.

What’s the catch? You’ll have to participate in a program that will allow the utility to prove out a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) protocol that will allow EVs to further contribute to the decarbonization of our grid.

For more information, click the image below.

The following is an excerpt from the website’s FAQ. It explains the rationale for the program.

“Our ultimate goal is that when renewable energy is available, your vehicle will charge, and when levels of consumption are high relative to renewable energy availability, your vehicle defers charging. This allows you to be a “good neighbor” on the grid and keep from adding to overall consumption while also reducing your impact on the environment. However, at all times, JuiceNet will attempt to honor your desired departure time so that your vehicle is charged and ready when you need it.

By joining your EV with other EVs charging on JuiceNet, Enel X is able to offer this group of EVs to the power grid like a power plant, but in reverse. We can increase charging when demand is low, and decrease charging when demand is high. With enough vehicles, grid operators could reduce their reliance on operating gas power plants to back up renewables like wind and solar. Currently, grid operators keep some power plants operating to prepare for drop-offs in wind and solar. With tens of thousands of connected EVs, we could avoid having those power plants online, making the grid cleaner!”