More than 200 new electric vehicle charging stations have been installed at more than 80 public locations in Hawaii, putting the state in the lead for the number of public charging stations, the state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism said Thursday.

Hawaii will now have one charging station for every 5,500 residents, the highest ratio in the nation. Oregon is second with one per 10,000 residents.

The new stations were installed in parking garages, shopping centers, office buildings, hotels and other attractions by private companies AeroVironment, Better Place Better Place, GreenCar Hawaii, Kauai County and the City and County of Honolulu. They were paid for by $2.6 million in federal stimulus funding.

They also will include six fast-charging units that will allow owners of electric vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf or Mitsubishi I-MiEV to charge their batteries in less than 30 minutes.

“This makes owning an EV in Hawaii a real option for regular folks,” Lt. Gov. Brian Schatzsaid in a statement. “We are now the leader in charging stations per person and this will create a market for the nation’s EV structure in a fast-changing market that continues to develop rapidly around the country.”

This electric vehicle charging station installed by Better Place at the Kaneohe branch of Enterprise Rent-A-Car is one of 200 stations installed at 80 locations around Hawaii.

http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/news/2012/03/29/hawaii-leads-nation-in-electric.html