Electric Garage Talk: Chris Agcanas with the City and County of Honolulu and his Nissan Ariya
Growing up locally here on Oahu, Chris Agcanas is all too familiar with the landscape and some of the challenges EV owners have with charger availability and range anxiety. Still, that didn’t stop him from making the switch and never looking back. Working as the Electrification of Transportation Analyst for the City and County of Honolulu’s Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency, he offers a unique perspective on current and future prospects of EV charging infrastructure in Hawaii.
Jennifer (Hawaiian Electric): Chris, thank you for taking the time to speak with us. So, tell me about how you first learned to drive.
Chris: Getting your learner’s permit and driver’s license is a right-of-passage in my family. Growing up in Waipahu, there weren’t very many options for recreation, and my high school had a cool driver’s ed teacher. That made me want to do driver’s ed as soon as possible. But I didn’t get my license until I started college. I just wanted that freedom. Like any teenager, right?
Jennifer (Hawaiian Electric): Right. What’s the story behind your first car?
Chris: My first year in college, I had a long commute on TheBus. I love public transportation and still take it today because of its numerous benefits, like not having to be the driver or finding parking. But as a college student, if you’re stuck eight hours in lectures and three-hour labs, you kind of want to go directly home. So that sparked me into getting my first car; it was an old Ford Fusion. Now UH commuters can enjoy Skyline and the new U- and A-line, which I wish I had back then. Today, I use my electric car to do errands, stay out late, or if I have multiple places to be.
Jennifer (Hawaiian Electric): Well, congratulations on making the switch to EV since then! What EV did you buy? What were some of your motivations to switch to an EV?
Chris: Back in 2012, I first learned about the Model S and I thought, “Oh my God, this is cool! This is the future!” My degree in electrical engineering sparked my interest in EVs. To me, EVs are a steppingstone to clean transportation automations. I’ve always wanted an EV for environmental benefits and how cool they looked. When I was able to finally go-EV in March 2025, I bought a 2023 Nissan Ariya. I figured I might as well walk-the-walk if I’m going to talk-the-talk since I work in the field of electrification of transportation.
Jennifer (Hawaiian Electric): What do you mean by “clean transportation automations”?
Chris: Clean transportation automation to me means driverless cars, which is still a ways out. Cars are becoming more and more like computers on wheels, such as Google’s Waymo and Tesla’s Robotaxi. Locally, we are seeing the concept piloted with HDOT’s Miki e-shuttle bus service at the airport and Min-E Bus at UH Manoa. With EVs, these automations can reduce our carbon emissions with travel efficiency or determine the best time to charge to use the most renewable. And now we are seeing EVs having the ability to power homes and store energy while also making sure you can make your daily commute.
Jennifer (Hawaiian Electric): That’s amazing! Well, if you could choose one word to describe your overall EV experience so far, what would that be?
Chris: I would say “Fun.” It’s been fun learning how to one pedal drive. It makes driving so much easier not having to rely on switching between the brakes and accelerator too often. It’s convenient to use one pedal to accelerate and decelerate the car. Every EV is different, some EVs come to a complete stop on their own, but my car will slow down to a low speed and requires you to use the brake to fully stop. So, it just depends on the car and manufacturer. Also, it’s been fun finding new places to charge and places to eat and things to do nearby, and new chargers keep popping up.
Jennifer (Hawaiian Electric): That’s great! What would you say is the most fun aspect about driving your EV?
Chris: Driving an EV, you immediately notice it’s very quiet and smooth. I like having additional space because you don’t have a combustion engine taking space in the front. I also don’t remember the last time I went for an oil change because I don’t need to make oil changes anymore or worry about that kind of constant maintenance. That’s definitely convenient.
Jennifer (Hawaiian Electric): Have you encountered any challenges or surprises since making the switch?
Chris: I think the challenges are pretty common, like fighting for chargers. It’s common to show up to a charger you thought was available just to find out it’s occupied. But I’m very adaptable. I now use the time waiting to charge to read a book, play a game, or finding something to do in the area. Range anxiety has been the biggest issue for me living in Waipahu. So, when you’re buying your EV, I recommend knowing your charging landscape, and think where you usually commute to — is there a charger nearby? That has been something that I had to get used to, especially as we’re in this early stage of the “electrification revolution,” as they call it. The landscape is always changing so be on the lookout for new chargers and EV models.
Jennifer (Hawaiian Electric): Understandable. We talked a lot about finding charging stations. Is that mainly how you charge your EV? Do you charge at home as well?
Chris: I have a very old plantation-style house, so I haven’t put that money down to install a charger just yet. I’ve been mainly relying on public charging. I typically check if the HECO chargers are available first, then I move on to the Electrify America chargers at Walmart or the Hawaii Department of Transportation chargers at Aloha Tower.
Jennifer (Hawaiian Electric): How does the cost of charging your EV compare to what you used to spend on gas?
Chris: I’ve been so happy! Right now, I am seeing only $20 to $30 each charging session, compared to paying $60 every time I filled up my old gas car, especially when I was in college. I knew you would get savings from switching to EV, but seeing that every time you charge up, gives you that serotonin or dopamine hit.
Jennifer (Hawaiian Electric): Great! Well, I know you’re familiar with our DC fast chargers (DCFC). Has it been easy locating our DCFC chargers and their availability, location, ease of use and reliability?
Chris: Yes, it’s been easier for me, but I think that’s me being more tech savvy. With the work I do — and anticipating getting an EV — I knew which apps I should be using and how to strategically plan. I have all the surrounding fast chargers around my home favorited, especially the ones along my normal routine.
Jennifer (Hawaiian Electric): And how about non-Hawaiian Electric public charging stations and their accessibility?
Chris: Some of these chargers are interesting. I usually get it on the first try just following the instructions, but for some chargers I’ll be on the phone for like five minutes, trying to give them my card information because the app or website wasn’t working. Overall, charging apps are getting better and I am getting more experienced as an EV user. And other EV drivers are often happy to help you start your charging session.
Jennifer (Hawaiian Electric): In addition to some frustrations in finding available chargers and using them, have you experienced any kind of maintenance issues with your EV compared to your old gas-powered vehicles?
Chris: My only issue so far was replacing my tires more than my other car, but that’s because I bought the car used. Because the EV is heavier, road conditions in my neighborhood aren’t the best so it was kind of expected. Because I have to do less maintenance, it’s actually saving some money. Having older used cars before, it’s a lot of oil changes, getting the filter replaced, or something’s wrong with the alternator. I haven’t encountered those issues yet with my EV. There isn’t a combustion engine to cause those issues!
Jennifer (Hawaiian Electric): That’s great. So, I wanted to get into some of the more specifics into your EV. What features of your EV do you find most useful or innovative?
Chris: Being able to control it from my phone has been very convenient for me. Turning on the climate — like controlling the AC remotely — has been great! Especially when I was on vacation and going on hikes with my cousins. I’m like, “Let me get this car ready because I’m dying of heat.” The extra safety features that come standard (like lane centering, remote entry, and blind spot monitors) are nice too. With my previous gas car, these were add-ons packages.
Jennifer (Hawaiian Electric): I know you said you don’t drive too often, but how many miles would you say you drive your EV in a given week?
Chris: It would really depend on what I’m doing but I would say about 40 to 80 miles because all the fun happens in town, or you want to get to the North Shore. Some days I need to drive my car for work to attend a meeting. I would say I would charge about once a week or so. I like to charge when I reach the 30% remaining charge to give me buffer to find a charger or to do one more trip.
Jennifer (Hawaiian Electric): Right. So, say you’re going to the North Shore and you have to plan a longer trip like that with your EV. Do you do a lot of planning in advance so you don’t get range anxiety?
Chris: With an EV you can easily check everything on your phone. So, if I must drive far, like to Ted’s Bakery in Haleiwa, or the Makapuu Lighthouse Trail on the East Side, I usually look at how much range I have left. To be quite honest, I usually forget once I get out of the car to see if I have enough charge left for additional trips. So asking myself, “Am I going to be able to get there or not?” has been a new question in my daily routine. If not, I plan for charging in the area using the apps. For Makapuu, I charged at the Aloha Tower NEVI station after getting a bite to eat in town on the way back home. For Haleiwa, I would charge in Mililani or Waipio.
Jennifer (Hawaiian Electric): Yeah, understandable. So, given your role with the City and County of Honolulu’s Resilience Office, we’d love to hear how you think the infrastructure for the EVs in Hawaii could be improved. Are there any initiatives that your team is working on currently?
Chris: Having an EV really brings opportunities and challenges into light. It helps with seeing that gap in infrastructure of, “Hey, we’re lacking chargers in this specific community. I’ve experienced it. What can we do to make it better? When the city institutes a fee for their chargers, what would that fee look like?” The Energy Program at the Resilience Office leads the Fleet Modification Working Group to discuss public charging and City fleet conversion, in collaboration with multiple City agencies. Another thing we are working on is expanding curbside charging or charging initiatives in general. By improving our current policies and processes, the City can help our stakeholders install more chargers. We seek answers to questions in this area: How can we enable partnerships to support the City in managing our own EV infrastructure? How can we minimize the barriers to make it happen? These questions are important as the City figures out a fair recovery fee at City-owned chargers and installs more chargers.
Jennifer (Hawaiian Electric): What do you mean by recovery fee? How do you see minimizing these infrastructure barriers?
Chris: Currently, the City does not have charging fees at any City-owned chargers. One of the difficulties of installing more chargers at City facilities is that Departments have to include the cost in their budgets, which are already tight. Currently, the cost of installing chargers is a capital improvement cost while maintenance is a recurring operating cost to departments that must be accounted for year-after-year even if those costs increase or can create savings.
A recovery fee would not be intended to make a profit, but designed to recover electricity cost and help fund some maintenance cost. Today, the operating agencies cover that cost, which eats into their budget. Streamlining permitting or creating public-private partnerships is an example of minimizing barriers. Public-private partnerships may be an option to enable things like curbside charging on Oahu or expanding public charging access in general to mitigate range anxiety.
Jennifer (Hawaiian Electric): And given your role, what are your thoughts about the environmental impact of driving an EV compared to a traditional gasoline vehicle?
Chris: The benefits are so much more than just the convenience of charging at home — I think anyone thinking of purchasing may know one of the biggest benefits is its positive impact on the environment compared to gas-powered vehicles, especially as our island increases the amount of renewable energy on its grid. I grew up with asthma. Being around a car shop or my uncle fixing cars, those fumes would really get to me. The benefits are really great because you’re not just getting a financial incentive of lower fuel costs and lower maintenance costs, but you’re also taking part in reducing air pollution and carbon emissions.
Jennifer (Hawaiian Electric): That’s great. And have you taken advantage of any incentives, like tax credits for EV owners? And if so, was that part of what impacted your decision on making the switch?
Chris: I have an interesting story: I heard about the federal government’s Used Clean Vehicle Tax Credit, and the Nissan I wanted to purchase was a little over $25,000. But the credit was for used EVs that were $25,000 or less, so I was like, “Hey, can you lower it to $25,000 because I want to get the tax credit.” My mistake was not accounting for things like extended warranties and service plans that get added on when you purchase a car. So, I sadly could not take advantage of the used EV tax credit. If I was going out there to buy a new car, I think that would have been a bigger factor. But unfortunately, these federal tax credits are no longer available.
Jennifer (Hawaiian Electric): Now that you’ve driven your EV for a while, would you recommend it to friends and family?
Chris: Yeah, it’s been interesting driving my family around because it’s eye opening for them. They’re surprised with how quiet it is or how fast it can go. I typically tease them because they’re shocked! I tell them, this is how much I am paying every month charging or every time I have to “fill up.” And they’re always impressed with the savings. I really believe having people ride in an EV shows them the benefits firsthand.
Jennifer (Hawaiian Electric): That’s great. And finally, do you have any tips or advice for someone considering switching to an EV?
Chris: My first tip is to know if you are going to charge at home or if you need to rely on public charging. Then map out scenarios of where you work, and the chargers around your workplace, or places you typically go shopping. Range anxiety goes away the more you drive your car. Be sure to lookout for more chargers in the works. My go-to apps are usually PlugShare, OpConnect and Electrify America.
Inspired by Chris? Here are some useful resources that shows all 348 public charging stations across Hawaii and HDOT’s Energy Security and Waste Reduction Plan:
About the Author: Jennifer Ecklund
