Big Island EV (BIEVA) held a couple of Drive Electric Earth Day (DEED) events this weekend. A small meet-up was held in Kailua Kona on April 23 to accommodate owners who could not make it to our main event in Hilo on April 24.

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 sunny weather (we had a 40-50% chance of 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), 2011 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 lead Jared Terpak) with his Kia EV6. This offered the opportunity to showcase the EV6's features.

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. Seeing the iX up close offered a peek into the various innovations offered by BMW.

Throughout the event, Roberts Hawaii, a local transportation company under contract by the County to provide mass transit services, offered the electric bus to participants for free rides around the block.

Special guests included Hawaii Mayor Mitch Roth, Hawaii County Research and Development 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. Kimball has sponsored a County bill designed to expand public charging across the island. (It will serve as a model for other counties.)

BIEVA hosted a booth where we addressed questions about EVs and handed out material from an earlier NDEW event.

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.

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.

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