Kapalua Airport opens $3.2M chargers

The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation dedicated a $3.2 million electric-vehicle fast-charging station at Kapalua Airport on May 13 and opened it for public use, according to an agency release. The site in the airport parking lot has four 150-kilowatt direct-current fast chargers, the department said. The chargers are operating 24 hours a day on Maui, where the airport serves West Maui communities and visitors, according to the release. The project adds another publicly accessible fast-charging site to Hawaiʻi’s federally backed buildout of electric-vehicle infrastructure. ### What exactly opened at Kapalua Airport? The Kapalua Airport installation includes four 150-kilowatt DC fast chargers, the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation said in its May 15 announcement. Two chargers have Combined Charging System and North American Charging Standard connectors, while the other two have Combined Charging System and CHAdeMO connectors, the agency said. (hidot.hawaii.gov) The airport parking lot station is now open to the public, the department said. The agency said the chargers were dedicated on Wednesday, May 13, and are available around the clock. ### How much does charging there cost? HDOT said charging rates at the Kapalua site are $0.44 per kilowatt-hour from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and $0.57 per kilowatt-hour from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. (hidot.hawaii.gov) The department did not say in the release why the overnight rate is higher than the daytime rate. The $3.2 million project cost covers the charging station that opened at the airport parking lot, according to the same release. (hidot.hawaii.gov) Maui Now, citing the department, reported the station was dedicated this week and described it as Maui’s second National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program charging station. ### How does this fit into Hawaiʻi’s wider charging buildout? (hidot.hawaii.gov) HDOT said in a November 2025 construction notice that the Kapalua Airport charging station would be funded through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program. The department said at that time the project would be the third NEVI-funded fast-charging hub in Hawaiʻi, following sites at the Kahului Park and Ride on Maui and Aloha Tower Marketplace on Oʻahu. (hidot.hawaii.gov) The Hawaiʻi Electric Vehicle Association said before the opening that the Kapalua project would add another fast-charging location on Maui for drivers traveling to West Maui. That description came from the group, not from the state, but it matched the airport location identified in HDOT’s project notices. ### Why was Kapalua Airport chosen for the site? Kapalua Airport is on Maui’s west side, and the charging station is located in the airport parking lot, according to HDOT. (hidot.hawaii.gov) The department’s release did not provide a formal site-selection rationale, but the location places the chargers at an airport serving West Maui, where rental-car users, residents and resort-area traffic can reach them. That connection is an inference from the airport location and public access described by the department. (hawaiiev.org) A November 2025 HDOT notice said construction would begin on Nov. 24 and would close part of the mauka side of the parking lot during the work. The department said at that time there would be no impact on airport operations. ### What comes next for drivers and the state? As of May 15, the Kapalua Airport station was already operating and available for public use, HDOT said. (hidot.hawaii.gov) The department listed the charger mix, hours and pricing in its release, giving drivers the information needed to use the site now. HDOT’s next public milestone on this project is likely to come through its department and airport news pages, where the agency posted both the November 2025 construction notice and the May 15, 2026 opening announcement. (hidot.hawaii.gov) The state’s latest-news portal also carried the May 15 release from the department. (hidot.hawaii.gov)