Charging station for car?

I'm so glad that I stumbled across this thread! We are in HNL later this month, and renting our first electric via TURO (also for the first time). I picked someone that had a lot of reviews and seems to have a mini fleet of said cars.
Most of our concerns have to do with availability of charging stations across the island (North Shore, Kualoa, etc), and the process of using these charging stations. Can we pay by credit card, or is there a prepay method? Are the stations frequent enough that we won't find ourselves drained if we're sitting in traffic for an hour?
TIA
 


My daughter lives on Oahu and has an electric car. She does need to charge her car after traveling across the island before returning home. There are places to charge, but there are also many people that use them. I don’t think there is a charge for using them. Oahu encourages electric cars. If you are not staying at the Aulani resort, you will not be able to use their charging stations.
 
I'm so glad that I stumbled across this thread! We are in HNL later this month, and renting our first electric via TURO (also for the first time). I picked someone that had a lot of reviews and seems to have a mini fleet of said cars.
Most of our concerns have to do with availability of charging stations across the island (North Shore, Kualoa, etc), and the process of using these charging stations. Can we pay by credit card, or is there a prepay method? Are the stations frequent enough that we won't find ourselves drained if we're sitting in traffic for an hour?
TIA

Hi Trixi Mouse!

Welcome to the electric car community! I'm not sure what specific brand you are renting through Turo, so I will try to be general. (Also, Turo is great and a completely legit rental co. They also have amazing customer service.) First of all, the cool thing about electric cars is that the battery does not "drain" when sitting idle in traffic. (Which I know is really hard to wrap your head around vs. gas cars.)

I would like to share with you an excellent website: https://www.plugshare.com/
This is a great resource. It lists all the chargers everywhere around the world. (Although I will not vouch for its accuracy in other countries; however, since it's a site that people belong & contribute to -like the disboards- I have a feeling the info throughout the world is pretty accurate, as people are constantly relying on the info & updating the info.) We've used this website for all across the US (including a road trip from DC to WDW in our electric car) and Canada.

This website will show you the chargers all throughout the island. To show you how it works, type in "Aulani" in the search bar on the top left and clicked on the green pin. As you can see:
1) Aulani has a perfect 10 rating - which I interpret it to mean that all the chargers work. If a place has a low rating, there's a good chance that its charger(s) doesn't work and charge somewhere else!
2) There are 12 chargers: Parking garage 1, closest stalls to the elevator on two floors. 12 Chargers; Spaces 250-254, 393-397, and 498-499.
3) Phone #s, address, & info. It does mention that you have to "pay" but it's because it's in Aulani's parking garage. Looks like it's complimentary (although if you are not a DVC member staying on pts, you have to pay for parking so I guess it's not truly complimentary). (There's no such thing as free lunch!)
3) 32 check-ins (meaning that 32 people who use the website & decided to post have checked in). Keep in mind that MANY more ppl have charged in these stations - for instance, my husband & I use this website often, but we NEVER check in. Some people left some comments - how many miles they got per hour or charge; etc. Someone mentioned/confirmed that it's free for DVC members.
4) This is a chargepoint station (someone mentioned it in the comments, but it also says it in the info box under "Chargers"). It has a J-1772 plug. Check with your rental information, as Turo should tell you what TYPE of charger the car requires. If the car doesn't have this specific charger, Turo should tell you whether or not they will provide you with an ADAPTER. My guess is that they will, as this is a pretty common type or charger.

It is a good idea for your to create a chargepoint account: https://www.chargepoint.com/
Especially since chargepoint is the most common type of electric charger that you will see in parking garages, etc.
You will still need to log into the chargepoint account at the resort when you plug in your car at Aulani. It will not charge you. (There may be a credit card hold, but it should go away.)

A lot of public stations are free - and the plugshare website will note that - if not, you usually pay via an app-based company (like chargepoint). Let me know if you're renting a Tesla because Teslas are a little bit more unique since there are supercharging stations specific to Tesla (that non-Teslas cannot use).

One of the most common questions we get from non-electric car drivers is, "Do you ever run out of battery/charge?" To which our answer is, "Do you ever run out of gas?" I hope the answer is NO! Turo should tell you what your RANGE is on the car. Your car will tell you how much battery or range it is has - which can be displayed as a %age or as miles. Just like a gas car tells you if you're at Empty or Full. Our Tesla's max range is 320 miles (although we usually max charge to 285 miles to preserve the battery) .... and I assure you that's enough to go around the island MANY MANY times. For instance, simply Google-mapping Aulani to Diamond Head = 29.9 miles. Round up in case you get a little lost or do a side trip for some malasadas at Leonard's - I would say 40 miles to be safe. That means you'll need 80 miles of range round trip to go to Diamond Head and back to Aulani. Even with a Nissan Leaf (2019), a Nissan Leaf's range is 150-226 miles (based on Google). That means that, even on the lower end of that range (150), you could go to Diamond Head round trip 2x from Aulani! However, say you do get to Diamond Head and you don't have 40 miles to go back to the resort. Based on Plugshare, you can go to the Kahala Mall and charge for free (2 Volta chargers by Whole Foods) or go one of many chargers in Waikiki. Look at all that green!

The nice thing about having a charger at your house, or in this case Aulani, is that you can plug in when you arrive on property & have your car fully charged and ready to go when you wake up. This is like living in a gas station! PSA: As a courtesy to other electric car drivers, please don't plug in or sit in a spot if/when you are fully charged. Think of it as parking in front of a gas station pump and not pumping gas. Some electric cars may really need to plug in and you don't want to block them from their opp to fill up! Plus, karma...

Let me know if you have any more questions. I assure you that electric cars aren't that much different lifestyle-wise than gas cars. It is true that on long road trips (over 4+ hours), you do need to spend more time charging. I can only speak to Tesla, as that's what we have and we've done MANY road trips with. With a Tesla, charging the Tesla at Tesla superchargers from empty to full is normally 20-30 min for us. Usually by the time we have to charge (every 3-4 hours), we typically have to go to the bathroom or want to grab some food. The 20-30 min additional time on our road trip is not that noticeable. The pros to it are: 1) Tesla tells you where the superchargers are so we never have to question "where's the cheapest gas station?," "should we go to the one on this exit?" and we 2) also don't have to inhale gas fumes or touch gas anymore!!! It's so much cleaner! Not to mention, the best reason.... 3) the pick-up of the car is absolutely FUN. Think Disney roller coasters every day! :)
 
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Trixi Mouse - One more thing, I tried to find a website that explains what sitting in traffic is like in an electric car. There is a good response to this question (which is a common question, btw - no shame!) on Quora: https://www.quora.com/What-happens-...e-than-one-electric-car-with-the-same-problem

The cool thing about electric cars is that the car doesn't use power when it's sitting in traffic. A gas car in traffic pulls from the gas tank in order to idle - to power the engine, the lights, the AC, etc. An electric car sitting in traffic is effectively "off." Yes, you'll still be listening to music and enjoying the AC, but it takes a lot less energy to do so from a battery than it does from a fuel tank.

In fact, sitting in traffic/idling and going at low speeds are where electric cars are > gas cars! Way more efficient. You'll see the drain in the battery when you accelerate to high speeds on the highway (altho to be fair, gas cars - especially sports cars - also see a huge drain in fuel when they accelerate to high speeds on the highway).

If you want to get really science-y, I can even teach you about "regenerative braking." But I think this is enough for one day! :)
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/atv-ev.shtml
 


I'm so glad that I stumbled across this thread! We are in HNL later this month, and renting our first electric via TURO (also for the first time). I picked someone that had a lot of reviews and seems to have a mini fleet of said cars.
Most of our concerns have to do with availability of charging stations across the island (North Shore, Kualoa, etc), and the process of using these charging stations. Can we pay by credit card, or is there a prepay method? Are the stations frequent enough that we won't find ourselves drained if we're sitting in traffic for an hour?
TIA

We rented a Tesla from Turo and we’re staying at Aulani next week. I was very excited when I discovered they had charging stations 😀

Purpliqueen gave you some great advice already, but I will add, that if you rented a Tesla, charging around the island won’t be necessary. I own a Jaguar I Pace and I commute a significant distance for work (80 miles a day) and I only charge it after 2.5 trips. If you’ve rented an electric car with less range, definitely follow the advice purpliqueen provided,but, honestly, I think a whole day of exploring and you’re still going to be just fine.

I love my ChargePoint app, Very easy to set up and use.

Enjoy your trip and driving an electric vehicle. They truly are phenomenal.
 
We rented a Tesla from Turo and we’re staying at Aulani next week. I was very excited when I discovered they had charging stations 😀

Purpliqueen gave you some great advice already, but I will add, that if you rented a Tesla, charging around the island won’t be necessary. I own a Jaguar I Pace and I commute a significant distance for work (80 miles a day) and I only charge it after 2.5 trips. If you’ve rented an electric car with less range, definitely follow the advice purpliqueen provided,but, honestly, I think a whole day of exploring and you’re still going to be just fine.

I love my ChargePoint app, Very easy to set up and use.

Enjoy your trip and driving an electric vehicle. They truly are phenomenal.

Tgeorge - We're super curious about the Jaguar I Pace. Never seen one in person! My husband just mentioned - if there was one on Turo, we'd rent it to check it out!

I hope you have a great time with the Tesla. We absolutely love ours. It's prob the best investment we've ever made - and we hemmed & hawed on it for some time. We were one of the waitlisters so we didn't even test drive it before it was delivered. Although we have such high standards for Tesla and did our research/test drove the S and X that we were comfortable with our decision. I'm very curious to hear about your trip next week - mainly the car! We're looking to rent a Tesla through Turo during our trip to Aulani in Feb. We'll have my parents with us so we're thinking S or X, but a 3 would be just fine too.

While doing some research for Trixie I was actually shocked that there aren't any superchargers on any of the Hawaiian islands - although it looks like (according to plugshare) two are coming to Oahu and one to Maui in 2019 - so they'll be opening VERY soon. I mentioned the lack of SCs to my husband and he was like - "you do realize the size of the islands are so small that supercharging really is unnecessary." I suppose he's right. We only supercharge when we're on long road trips (cross country). There's really no need to supercharge if you're just putzing about. Anyway, hope both you and Trixie have WONDERFUL trips.
 
Tgeorge - We're super curious about the Jaguar I Pace. Never seen one in person! My husband just mentioned - if there was one on Turo, we'd rent it to check it out!

I hope you have a great time with the Tesla. We absolutely love ours. It's prob the best investment we've ever made - and we hemmed & hawed on it for some time. We were one of the waitlisters so we didn't even test drive it before it was delivered. Although we have such high standards for Tesla and did our research/test drove the S and X that we were comfortable with our decision. I'm very curious to hear about your trip next week - mainly the car! We're looking to rent a Tesla through Turo during our trip to Aulani in Feb. We'll have my parents with us so we're thinking S or X, but a 3 would be just fine too.

While doing some research for Trixie I was actually shocked that there aren't any superchargers on any of the Hawaiian islands - although it looks like (according to plugshare) two are coming to Oahu and one to Maui in 2019 - so they'll be opening VERY soon. I mentioned the lack of SCs to my husband and he was like - "you do realize the size of the islands are so small that supercharging really is unnecessary." I suppose he's right. We only supercharge when we're on long road trips (cross country). There's really no need to supercharge if you're just putzing about. Anyway, hope both you and Trixie have WONDERFUL trips.
Purpliequeen- I love my I Pace. I test drove an S three years ago when I was out in Maryland for my annual AT for the Army reserves and knew at that time that I would own an electric car 😀 We built a new home and had them add the plug for the charger (that’s how certain I was of it). I was torn between an S, a performance model 3, or the I Pace. My husband really preferred the I Pace, and at the time, he was kind of on an anti-Tesla kick, so I went with the I Pace. They aren’t selling very well in the US, so, you’re right, you don’t see many of them. I’ve been quite lucky to not have any of the issues that some have experienced. The one thing I think that Tesla really wins at is knowing that if you have to take it for service, you’re getting someone who knows what they are doing vs. someone who is used to working on ICE vehicles and has been trained on the I Pace. I love the styling, the interior, the comfort, and how amazing it is to drive. The acceleration is phenomenal and the smoothness of the ride is unparalleled.

My brother has a 3 and he loves it. We rode in it when we visited him in NJ earlier this summer and it was awesome too. I’m just so happy that Tesla was such a disrupter to the market that it forced all these other manufacturers to get rolling with long range, phenomenally styled vehicles. Jaguar, Audi, Porsche, and soon to be Mercedes. Very exciting!!

I was surprised by the lack of super chargers as well, but then I thought the same thing your husband did. I’m sure it will still be nice to have the capability (even if it isn’t completely necessary).

We rented a Model 3 for this trip, since now my husband thinks he may get one (yes, the irony is not lost on me 😆). This will give him the opportunity to really get a feel for it and decide. The couple we rented from also has an S and an X, so I will definitely let you know about our experience. They may be a very good option for you so you can pick which car you prefer.

So far, they have been wonderful. She was the one who called Aulani to find out about the charging capabilities for me when I first inquired about renting. I was going to to book us at the Four Seasons since I knew they had a charger, but once I found out Aulani did as well, I changed my mind. I’ll definitely let you know my experience when I get back.
 
All this electric car talk is seriously swaying me to look more into renting a Tesla (or other nice midsize electric car) for our trip. I need to learn more about Turo and see if other companies rent electric cars, too.

I want a one-way rental from the airport to Aulani, and Turo says it can be done for an extra fee for the car I am researching, but there is no one-way fee when I book... so is this something arranged with the owner at drop off?
 
All this electric car talk is seriously swaying me to look more into renting a Tesla (or other nice midsize electric car) for our trip. I need to learn more about Turo and see if other companies rent electric cars, too.

I want a one-way rental from the airport to Aulani, and Turo says it can be done for an extra fee for the car I am researching, but there is no one-way fee when I book... so is this something arranged with the owner at drop off?

There are some Tesla rentals that will include a pick up at HNL(it seemed to go off of length of rental). If you go to the booking section, once you enter where you want to be picked up, it provides you with the information. If you wanted it for just a one-way where you would rent from airport and have them pick up at Aulani, I would imagine that would also be in that section when you book. Don't worry about going too far, you have to click to confirm, so you won't 'accidentally' go too far. The other thing you could do, if you can find the contact information for the owners, you could reach out to them prior to booking to ask the question.

I did so much research into Turo before I booked and asked a few colleagues who have used it. I didn't see any other option for EV rental on the island, but that doesn't mean that it isn't out there. The people I chose to rent with have 3 Teslas that they rent out, so it is more of a business for them. They have been incredibly great to deal with so far. I'm curious how the pick up will go. They told me to text them when we land and again when we get out baggage from baggage claim. They are going to meet us right outside the terminal and go over the vehicle with us. From my understanding, the Turo app allows us to take photos, etc at pick up if we want to document anything. It all seems pretty seamless. My insurance agency did tell me we were covered for any car that we drive, but I went ahead and go the extra insurance that Turo offers (through liberty mutual), just for peace of mind. But the owners also told me that they carry the top insurance from Liberty Mutual through Turo to protect their investment as well.

Good luck! If you rent a EV you're going to love it!
 
Thank you for all of this information! SO helpful and really has me excited to Go Green when we are there :-D We are looking at Hybrid or full electric for our next vehicle (a friend of ours has a Tesla and LOVES it, but we are looking towards more storage as my husband is in a band and we have a lightweight pop-up to tow).
Our rental on Oahu will be a Leaf. :-)
 
Thank you for all of this information! SO helpful and really has me excited to Go Green when we are there :-D We are looking at Hybrid or full electric for our next vehicle (a friend of ours has a Tesla and LOVES it, but we are looking towards more storage as my husband is in a band and we have a lightweight pop-up to tow).
Our rental on Oahu will be a Leaf. :-)

Trixi Mouse - I think this trip will be very helpful to see how you like an EV! And thank you for being open minded. There are a lot of folks out there who wouldn't do what you're doing - on a vacation no less.

We went 100% electric & it was the best decision we ever made. The "running out of battery" concern that a lot of folks have didn't bother us because we knew we'd only be putzing around town most days. We also aren't the type of drivers who wait till the arrow is on "Empty" and then panic and drive to a gas station. (Definitely look at your commute and how many miles you avg on an avg day and that'll help calculate how much range you need.) We also did our research on road trips to understand how supercharging would work. We didn't even really think we'd take that many road trips. Prior to the Tesla we NEVER road tripped - the I-95 corridor is not fun and the DC region is riddled with horrible traffic. However, once we got the Tesla, we: 1) realized how fun it is drive and the rentals we'd have to rent when we flew paled in comparison to our Tesla, 2) loved the comfort - all the amenities are ridiculously awesome (our car = an entertainment system; we have Spotify, Beach Buggy and tons of other games, Netflix/Hulu, etc.), 3) can bring our dog - especially with dog mode!!!! Yes it's a thing - Google it! In our first year of ownership, we road tripped DC to/from New England 2x and DC to/from WDW. Second year we moved cross-country out West.

The only thing that really concerned us was the upfront cost. Although my understanding is that the Nissan Leaf is pretty affordable relative to other options out there, and the Tesla Model 3 (base price) is as well. Since buying the car, we realized that we should've factored several savings bc electric cars (not hybrids, but full electric) cost less to maintain than a typical gas car. 1) There's a battery vs. an engine. There's less moving pieces in the car. The only liquid we have is window wiper fluid! 2) You also have to replace the brakes less because of the regenerative braking (effectively you don't really ever have to brake). And 3) the cost of electric is a lot less than gas. DISCLAIMER: The only thing that likely is more expensive on the Tesla specifically is the replacement of the tires - you will want to accelerate!:moped:

Some things to think about before/after Hawaii: Sign up for a test drive with Tesla if you haven't already. Tesla employees are super accommodating and there is NO pressure to buy. Tesla doesn't have dealerships (thank you, gas lobbyists!), they have showrooms & service centers. Tesla employees are NOT based on commission. There is NO incentive for them to sell you on the car. They are more interested in answering your questions and educating you on the features of Tesla/electric cars. There is NO haggling nor bribing by the employees nor their managers. They don't convince & chase after you to buy the car based off of a magic # on a piece of paper that they won't share with you. Instead, Teslas are bought online on the comfort of your couch!. Thus, there's no pressure during your test drive. In fact, we test drove at least 2x while on the wait list for the Model 3 and the employees were nothing but accommodating.

You mentioned your husband is in a band. If you're thinking of a Tesla, FYI, they're coming out with the Model Y in 2020. It's a hatchback. It'll sit on the Model 3 platform (which is a normal sedan), but the back will pop-out so it'll have a bigger trunk, or seat 7 (!). It will be highly successful. And I will want one! :smooth:

Trixi Mouse, You'll soon learn through the EV community that we love our cars, and we want other people (esp our friends & family) to get one because then we can share in the joy together. I never cared about cars before we got the Model 3. I saw them as a means of transportation to get places. I used airplanes all the time. I boarded my dog. Now we road trip whenever we can. We bring our dog. The cost savings are an added bonus. Not polluting is pretty cool too. Like most people, I didn't really notice car pollution until we lived in a place with an underground parking garage. The garage also had storage units & bike storage. Our stuff & our bikes were always filthy. Everything would always be covered in a layer of black soot. The first time I went down there to get my bike I couldn't figure out where the soot was coming from. Then someone told me that the soot is from car exhaust. It's crazy to think that we breathe that. (That's why it's so bad to idle in an enclosed enclosed space.) Gasoline and vapors at gas stations aren't healthy either (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323426.php). We are all trying to live a healthier life. I didn't realize how unhealthy a gas car was until I didn't have one. I just didn't know that there was another option out there.

Let us know if there's anything else we can help with. TGeorge is an awesome resource too. :) Happy travels!
 
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@Trixi Mouse - We just returned from our trip. It was awesome! Both Aulani and the Tesla :-) There are at least 5 charging stations on level 3 (level you pull in on) and 3 on level 4 (which is the same level as the lobby, which we found incredibly convenient). They are the first spots you come to as you leave the hotel and take the pathway from the hotel to the parking structure, so SUPER convenient.

They are Charge Point chargers, so make sure to download the Charge Point app on your phone and set up an account. There is no charge for the use of the chargers, but you do have to authorize the charger. I have my card saved to my Apple Wallet, so all I had to do was open my Wallet and hold my phone up to the charger and it authorized. Super easy!

There was a Leaf parked next to us one of the days. Enjoy!!
 
Thanks to all the info on this thread we cancelled our Alamo booking and now have a Tesla next week. I’ll let you know how it goes. My main worry is that my husband may want one when we get home! :-)
 
The nice thing about having a charger at your house, or in this case Aulani, is that you can plug in when you arrive on property & have your car fully charged and ready to go when you wake up. This is like living in a gas station! PSA: As a courtesy to other electric car drivers, please don't plug in or sit in a spot if/when you are fully charged. Think of it as parking in front of a gas station pump and not pumping gas. Some electric cars may really need to plug in and you don't want to block them from their opp to fill up! Plus, karma...

Wish more people were this considerate! ☺
 

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