Public Electric Vehicle Chargers

Level 2 Electric Vehicle Chargers:

The County has fifteen Level 2 Tesla EV Charging Stations available for public use at the Lihue Civic Center Campus located in the Civic Center parking lot (4444 Rice St, Lihue, HI 96766) and in the Historic County Building parking lot (3060 Eiwa St, Lihue, HI 96766).

The County is working on a project to install two Level 2 EV Charging Stations at the Lima Ola Affordable Housing Development in Eleele.

Level 3 Electric Vehicle Chargers:

The County is working on a project to install five dual-plug Level 3 EV Charging Stations. Two will be located at Bryan J. Baptiste Park (4536 Olohena Rd, Kapaa HI 96746), one will be located at the Lihue Civic Center (4444 Rice St, Lihue HI 96766), and two at the Anne Knudsen Park (3570 Maluhia Rd, Koloa HI 96756).

County owned public EV charging stations are currently available year-round, 24 hrs/day.

The Director of Finance determines rates by assessing and quantifying the County's costs to power, operate, administer, and maintain charging stations, including any administrative fees assessed to County by its vendor for processing credit and debit card user fee payments. The Director may assess an overstay surcharge for vehicles that remain in a designated stall after the vehicle battery is fully charged. Rates may be calculated on a quarterly basis or as often as the Director deems necessary to maintain efficient operations and cost control. At applicable locations, County charger user fee rates will be due in addition to standard parking rates.

Level 2 Electric Vehicle Chargers:

Charging rates are $0.39/kWh and must be paid using the Tesla phone application. Charging stations will not operate until payment system has been activated. Per County code, vehicles must be unplugged and moved from EV-only parking once the charging session has completed.

For Non-Tesla Vehicles:

Click on the below link for Tesla Charging Station Payment Instructions.

Tesla Charging Station Payment Instructions(PDF, 2MB)

For Tesla Vehicles:

Paying for charging in a Tesla is automatic and handled directly through your linked Tesla Account. Plug the charger into your car; the system recognizes the vehicle, starts charging, and bills the default credit card set up in your Tesla app. Before your first charge, ensure you add a credit card in the Tesla app under: Menu > Charging > Manage Payment.

Charging Rules are located in the Kauai County Code § 16-10.7 Use of County-Owned Public Electric Vehicle Chargers.

(a) The Director of Finance may designate County-owned electric vehicle charging stations as available for public use. Members of the public may use designated charging stations for electric vehicle use only in accordance with conditions for User Fees as set forth in Section 17-2, Kaua'i County Code 1987, as amended.

(b) As used in this Article, the following terms shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates that a different meaning is intended:

"Actively Charging" means a vehicle that is plugged into an electric vehicle charging station and drawing power.

"Director" means the Director of Finance or the Director's designee.

"Electric vehicle" means the same as defined in Section 8-31.1, Kaua'i County Code 1987, as amended.

"Electric vehicle charging station" or "electric vehicle chargers" means the same as "electric vehicle charging system" as defined in Section 8-31.1, Kaua'i County Code 1987, as amended.

"Public vehicle" means any vehicle that is not in the County's vehicle fleet.

(c) The Director may adopt any rules pursuant to HRS Chapter 91 that are consistent with the provisions of this Article.

(d) The following shall apply to all County-owned property:

(1) No person may park a non-electric vehicle in a parking space designed and marked as reserved for electric vehicles, unless otherwise directed on official County signage.

(2) No person may park any public vehicle in a parking space equipped with an electric vehicle charging system while not actively charging, unless otherwise directed on official County signage.

(e) Any person convicted of violating this Section shall be guilty of a violation in accordance with Hawai'i Revised Statutes Section 701-107. Any person convicted after citation shall be fined $50 for the first violation and $100 for each subsequent violation. After the initial citation for a first violation, each additional day of violation shall constitute a separate offense.

(Ord. No. 1174, May 29, 2025)