Get Charged Up at Ching Young Village

By Allison Young

KIUC was pleased to recently present a $10,000 check to the Ching Young Village Shopping Center in Hanalei for successfully installing a Level II Multi-Port EV Charger in its parking lot. 

Ching Young Village is in the heart of Hanalei and has been a haven for both locals and visitors to Kauaʻi since 1982, providing a variety of shops, restaurants, offices and services.

The electric vehicle charger process first started in 2023 when General Manager Larry Harper reached out to KIUC. 

“We had been wanting to install an EV charging station here at Ching Young Village Shopping Center,” he says. “When we learned of the KIUC rebate program, we requested a site visit.”
 

The KIUC EV team, which consists of Commercial Energy Services Specialist Kyle Cremer and Staff Engineer Jonah Knapp, visited the site in Hanalei. When determining the best location for a new EV charging site, many things need to be considered: the location of existing sources of power, if a new transformer is needed to meet an increased electricity load and where that transformer might be placed. Construction costs and drivers’ convenience are also important.

Due to these factors, it is recommended members reach out to the EV team as early as possible in the process. 

“They were very thorough in answering any questions that we had and provided us with all of the information needed to move forward with the EV charging station vendor,” Larry says. 

Ching Young Village Shopping Center is the island’s first EV charging station in Hanalei and third commercial member to benefit from the commercial EV charger rebate. Previous recipients are the Pu‘u Po‘a condo community in Princeville and Nathan Wood General Contractor in Puhi. 

The KIUC rebate is for $10,000 if installation costs exceed $45,000. The rebate is $5,000 if installation costs are less than $45,000. This rebate can be combined with a Hawai‘i Energy rebate of $4,500 (New Level) for additional savings.

There are a growing numbers of EV drivers on island. Adding an EV charger on-site keeps customers happy and provides another source of revenue. 

“People are really happy here in Hanalei that they have a place to charge now,” Larry says. “It’s increasing every month. We’re getting more and more revenue from it."

For more information about rebates for a Level II EV Charger installation, contact energyservices@kiuc.coop or call 808.246.4300. To apply for a rebate from Hawaiʻi Energy, visit hawaiienergy.com.

From left: Waioli Forrest, Michael Ching, Larry Harper and Kailoa Forrest with KIUC’s Kyle Cremer celebrating the installation of the Ching Young Village EV Charger.