Governor Josh Green, M.D.

The Hawai‘i State Energy Office (HSEO), Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH), and Roberts Hawai‘i, Inc. recently debuted and blessed five new zero-emission electric-battery buses, to provide clean transportation for keiki going to school and tourists on O‘ahu. The innovative electric vehicle (EV) marvels mark a historic milestone as they become the first-of-their-kind tour/charter EV motorcoaches in the country, raising the bar for sustainable transportation. This is a vital step toward achieving the state’s goal of being carbon-negative by 2045. 

“We are absolutely committed to pursuing climate change strategies that are equitable, culturally responsive, and resilient,” said Governor Josh Green, M.D. “Renewable energy and sustain­able transportation are going to be a huge part of our future, so
we need to build on the progress we have alre­­ady made, with more events like today. I want to thank all the partners gathered here for their leadership and hard work to­ward our clean energy goals.” 

The buses were purchased with the assistance of the Diesel Rep­lacement Rebate (DRR) program, funded by the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust. The DRR provides rebates of up to 45 percent of the total purchase amount to replace medium- and heavy-duty diesel vehicles and equipment with new battery electric or hydrogen equivalents. Also, the rebate covers up to 45 percent of an EV charger per electric vehicle.  

The DRR program, administered by the HSEO in partnership with the DOH, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency, allocated approximately $3.2 million in rebates to help off­set the purchase of eight vehicles – seven buses and one fork­lift – to support renewable energy and decarbonization goals. The five buses that debuted in July were purchased in 2022, and the remaining three will be purchased through the second year of the rebate program. 

“While we are striving to adapt by providing zero-emission transportation options, this transformation involves new tech­nology and it requires major upgrades to properties and, as such, the cost of electric buses, associated infrastructure, and workforce training is high.  A shared public-private cost model is necessary, and we must work together to meet the state’s 2045 zero-emission target and to protect Hawaiʻi’s environment for future generations,” said Roy Pfund, President and CEO of Robert’s Hawai‘i. 

For more information on the Diesel Replacement Rebate program and its funding sources, please visit www.energy.hawaii.gov.