I have always been a fan of electric vehicles. Growing up in Chicago, I loved the El trains and the sparks and quietness of the electric buses. The buses got their power from overhead lines and sparked like crazy as the contacts were held firmly against the lines on spring loaded booms.

Talking to Anne Ku of Maui EVA (Electric Vehicle Alliance) I realized I could rent an electric vehicle to go to Hana for my gig at Travaasa hotel for what it would cost me in gas. My concern was getting a charge to make it back for my 9 AM gig in Paia and another important Steel Guitar gig that night for a convention at the Kea Lani. I ended renting a Volt which has a gasoline backup. As it turned out I was able to charge at Travaasa and could have gotten a fully electric car. The charge took about 9 hours on a standard outlet. I made it from my house in Waiehu to about 5 miles past Keanae before the car seamlessly switched to gas. On the way back I made it to Holokai Road before switching to gas. I filled up in Paia and the car took a little over a gallon of gas.

It doesn’t take much thought to see that electric cars are a good thing. But actually experiencing the reality of what they are was overwhelming and exhilarating. The environmental and financial cost we pay for fossil fuel is atrocious. It is essential that the solar technology and infrastructure to support electric vehicles be developed on a world wide scale. Joel  https://joelkatzmaui.com/