Prospect for Alternative-Fueled Vehicles in Hawaii is Positively Electric

Hawaii may be an early player in a trend toward the reduction in the reliance on oil for transportation.

While the single electric car plying the roads of Molokai hardly seems like the start of a trend -- it is the activities of Shai Agassi's "Better Place" that makes the island state a likely location for the launch of electric cars in the US. The most recent issue of Wired magazine describes Agassi's ambitious plans for electric cars (starting with inroads in Israel, Denmark, and yes...Hawaii). According to the article, representatives of Better Place have met with business and political leaders in Hawaii to discuss the possibility of setting up an infrastructure for electric cars in the state. (Hawaii is a logical jumping off point. As an island state, driving distances tend to be short -- consistent with the capabilities of electric cars -- and Hawaii spends a huge amount to oil producers, an amount equal to 14% of the state's gross domestic product.)

So what about that single electric car in Molokai? According to the Molokai Times, the Dynesty Sedan was shipped from British Columbia and can travel 150 miles for the cost of about $5 of electricity. Pretty good when you think of the cost of a gallon of gas.