HILO — Five sparkling new Chevy Volt electric cars had been set aside at a Hilo dealership even before an invitation for bid for electric cars went out from Hawaii County government last week. And, they’re in Mayor Billy Kenoi’s
HILO — Five sparkling new Chevy Volt electric cars had been set aside at a Hilo dealership even before an invitation for bid for electric cars went out from Hawaii County government last week. And, they’re in Mayor Billy Kenoi’s preferred color.
The formal invitation for bid issued Feb. 27 doesn’t specify the make and model; nor does it specify the color, saying instead the cars should be “Manufacturer’s standard, silver, white or black. All colors should be the same for fleet uniformity.”
But a Feb. 24 email from Managing Director Bill Takaba to the group putting the purchasing specifications together makes it clear: “I believe the mayor’s preference is to have five black vehicles so they stand out. Second choice is to have another color, but all the same.”
Takaba’s comment was in response to an email earlier in the day from county Procurement and Specifications Specialist Steve Wilhelm, according to a series of electronic communications obtained by West Hawaii Today.
Wilhelm, charged with putting the bid specs together, was seeking feedback from a group that included Takaba, Research and Development Director Randy Kurohara, Deputy Director Laverne Omori and Finance Director Nancy Crawford.
“We can require the five plug-in hybrid vehicles to be the same color, but if a dealer does not have five of the same color in stock, they may be asking for an exception,” Wilhelm said in the email. “I am planning on not specifying the ‘silver, white or black’ colors and just putting in that they all be of the same color. Will this be a problem?”
Calvin Koga, sales director at DeLuz Chevrolet and Big Island Toyota, told West Hawaii Today on Monday the five black Volts are in a vehicle prep lot and not ready for sale to the general public, although he has Volts of different colors in his showrooms. The prep lot is on Halekauila Street in Hilo, just down from the county vehicle baseyard. There were no other electric vehicles on the lot Friday.
“We’re not doing anything with the county at this point. Everything is a bid process,” said Koga, adding that his company did plan to submit a bid.
But Koga did know Kenoi’s preferred color.
“We’ve had different conversations with the mayor and with different people and that came up,” Koga said. “It’s not set in stone as to what gets what.”
Koga said he’s had Volts on the lot for about six months, and shipments are generally shared with dealers on Oahu.
The county is trying to rush the bidding, in order to take advantage of the state EV-Ready program, which offers rebates of up to 20 percent, provided delivery is taken by March 30. Sealed bids will be opened publicly at 2 p.m. Monday in the county Purchasing Office.
The cars, to be purchased with $111,863 from the Hawaii Energy Efficiency Program, will be based at the West Hawaii Civic Center, which has three two-vehicle charging stations powered by rooftop photovoltaic cells. The County Council Finance Committee put its stamp of approval on the purchase Jan. 18.
The 2012 Chevrolet Volt, at $39,145 is the most expensive of the options, but it is also rated the most fuel-efficient car on the market, with 93 to 95 miles per gallon. An all-electric Nissan Leaf starts at $35,200 and a plug-in Toyota Prius costs $32,000.
Kurohara had told Stephens Media last week that the initial plan was to buy somewhere between four to six of the vehicles, which would be either electric, plug-in hybrid or some combination.
Kurohara said this was part of a broader push by the Kenoi administration to invest in the vehicles and “being a leader by example.”
This is part of the larger effort “to look at how we can be more efficient, how we can save money on fuel,” Kurohara said.
Kurohara isn’t sure who would initially be able to use the vehicles, but he said they might be rotated among several departments at first. He couldn’t say whether they would be assigned to any elected officials.
Kenoi said Monday he’s content to just look at the bids when they’re opened. He thought the black cars would really stand out, he said, but he’ll let the process move forward.
“It never was to have to be this color or that color,” Kenoi said. “It was more important that it all be one color.”
