Why Bringing Your Electric Car to Hawaii Just Got Exponentially Harder (And More Expensive)
I've lived on Oahu for over thirty years, and I've seen plenty of changes hit our islands. But this one caught even me off guard. In 2025, Matson – the company that ships most vehicles to Hawaii – suddenly stopped accepting electric and hybrid cars. No warning, just an immediate halt. If you're planning to bring an EV to the islands or wondering what this means for Hawaii's clean energy future, you need to know what's happening. Let me walk you through this mess.
What Actually Happened
Matson sent out a letter to customers that felt like a punch to the gut for anyone who'd been planning to ship an electric vehicle. The company that's been moving cars between the mainland and Hawaii for decades just… stopped. Completely. Effective immediately, they said.
No more Teslas in containers. No plug-in hybrids either.
The reason? Lithium-ion batteries and the fire risk they pose at sea. Matson cited “increasing concern for the safety of transporting vehicles powered by large lithium-ion batteries” in their letter. And honestly, after what happened off the Alaska coast in June, I can't say I blame them for being cautious.
The Ship Fire That Changed Everything
Here's what spooked everyone. On June 3, 2025, a cargo ship called the Morning Midas caught fire about 300 miles south of Adak, Alaska. The vessel was hauling 3,048 vehicles – including 70 fully electric cars and 681 hybrids – from China to Mexico.
Smoke started billowing from the deck where the electric vehicles were stored. The crew tried everything to put it out, but the fire wouldn't stop. Eventually, all 22 crew members had to abandon ship. Three weeks later, the entire vessel sank to the bottom of the Pacific – 16,400 feet down – taking every single car with it.
The ship also had 1,880 metric tons of fuel onboard, which created a whole other environmental nightmare. This wasn't the first incident either. Similar fires destroyed the Fremantle Highway in 2023 and the Felicity Ace in 2022.
I remember reading about the Morning Midas sinking while having my morning coffee on my lanai, watching the waves roll in at Kailua Beach. The irony wasn't lost on me – here we are, surrounded by the Pacific, and now that same ocean had swallowed thousands of vehicles because of a fire we couldn't control. Made my Kona coffee taste a little more bitter that morning.
Why Lithium Batteries Are So Dangerous at Sea
The problem with lithium-ion batteries isn't just that they can catch fire. It's how they catch fire.
When these batteries fail, they go through something called “thermal runaway” – basically, the battery starts heating itself up in a chain reaction that becomes nearly impossible to stop. The temperature skyrockets, and the battery can explode or burst into flames. Once it starts, traditional firefighting methods don't work well.
On a ship, this becomes exponentially more dangerous. Matson transports cars in individual containers, which means if a fire starts inside one of those metal boxes, you can't see it, you can't easily access it, and you can't put it out quickly. It's like trying to fight a fire in a locked safe while you're floating in the middle of the ocean.
The company had actually been preparing for this. They created an Electric Vehicle Safe Carriage Working Group, developed special procedures, bought thermal imaging cameras to detect temperature spikes, and even invested in specialized firefighting equipment like the Viking HydroPen. But after watching the Morning Midas sink, they decided it wasn't enough.
What This Means for Hawaii's EV Owners
Right now, Hawaii has 38,086 registered electric vehicles. That's 3.5% of all passenger vehicles in the state. And that number had been growing – up 16% from the previous year. The state's been pushing hard toward clean energy, with goals to reach 100% renewable energy by 2045.
But here's the problem. Matson is Hawaii's largest shipping company. They moved 30,000 vehicles to the islands last year. When they pull out of the EV shipping business, it creates a massive bottleneck.
Car dealers are worried. People stationed here with the military who need to bring their electric cars are stuck. Anyone who bought a Tesla on the mainland and planned to ship it over? You're going to have to find another way.
Your Alternative Option (But It'll Cost You)
Don't panic completely. Pasha Hawaii is still shipping electric vehicles. They operate two vessels – the Jean Anne (a fully enclosed roll-on/roll-off car carrier) and the Marjorie C. The Jean Anne is actually pretty impressive – 579 feet long, can carry about 3,000 cars, and was the first pure car and truck carrier built in the United States specifically for Hawaii service.
But there are catches :
Your EV must be drivable – they won't ship inoperable electric vehicles at all
Battery charge must be 30% or less when you drop it off
You'll pay an extra $275 non-refundable surcharge on top of regular shipping costs
Turn off any remote monitoring apps – they drain the battery during transport
Service is limited to direct call ports only – Honolulu, Kahului, Hilo, and San Diego
I spoke with a neighbor last month who was trying to ship his Rivian from California. The whole process gave him major anxiety. He had to drive around San Diego the day before drop-off to drain his battery down to exactly 30%, disable all his vehicle's smart features, and then just hope everything went smoothly. The uncertainty alone almost made him sell the truck and buy something gas-powered once he got here. Almost.
Will Pasha Follow Matson's Lead?
That's the million-dollar question everyone's asking. Pasha Hawaii's spokesperson said “safety is our number one priority” and that they have “regulated and proven safeguards in place”. They're fully supporting EV adoption as part of Hawaii's clean energy commitment.
But industry experts think Pasha might eventually suspend EV shipments too. The risk is the same regardless of which company operates the vessel. If another major fire incident happens – especially involving a Pasha ship – they'll have no choice but to stop.
The president of the Hawaii EV Association said it's “disappointing that Matson has chosen to suspend shipping the vehicles, but he understands”. That tells you something right there. Even EV advocates get why this happened.
The Bigger Picture for Hawaii
This shipping issue hits Hawaii harder than anywhere else in the country because we're completely dependent on ocean transport. There's no bridge to the mainland. No train. No highway. Everything comes by ship or plane, and you can't exactly fly a car over for a reasonable price.
The state's been dealing with other EV-related changes too. Starting September 30, 2025, electric vehicles lost their privilege to use HOV lanes with just a single occupant. That federal exemption expired, and suddenly EV drivers needed actual passengers to use those lanes during restricted hours.
Then there's the new road usage charge that kicked in July 2025. EV owners now have the option to pay either 8 cents per 1,000 miles (capped at $50) or a flat $50 annual fee. By 2028, the per-mile charge becomes mandatory for EVs, and by 2033, it'll expand to all light-duty vehicles.
It feels like EVs are getting hit from multiple directions at once. The rebates disappeared. The HOV lane access vanished. Shipping options shrank dramatically. And now there are new fees on top of everything else.
What Matson Says About the Future
Matson hasn't completely written off electric vehicles forever. In their letter to customers, they said they “continue to support industry efforts to develop comprehensive standards and procedures to address fire risk posed by lithium-ion batteries at sea”.
They plan to resume shipping EVs “when appropriate safety solutions that meet our requirements can be implemented”. But they didn't give any timeline. Could be months. Could be years. Nobody knows.
The maritime industry is working on better fire suppression systems, improved battery monitoring technology, and new protocols for handling EVs on ships. But developing and implementing these solutions across an entire fleet takes time and massive investment.
Local Knowledge You Should Know
If you're thinking about buying an EV in Hawaii right now, do your homework first. Call Pasha directly and get current pricing and availability before you commit to anything. Shipping slots are filling up faster since Matson pulled out.
Also, Hawaii's charging infrastructure is still catching up. As of 2025, we have 695 Level 2 charging ports statewide but only 117 DC fast-charging ports. That's improving – HDOT just opened charging stations at Aloha Tower and Honolulu Airport with federal NEVI funding. But if you're on a neighbor island, your charging options are still limited compared to Oahu.
Pro tip: If you're military and need to ship an EV for a deployment or transfer, start the process at least two months earlier than you normally would. The reduced shipping capacity means longer wait times for everyone.
The Environmental Irony
Here's what gets me about this whole situation. Hawaii has been pushing hard toward renewable energy and clean transportation. We want to reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels. We've set ambitious goals for a zero-emission economy by 2045.
But now, the very vehicles that are supposed to help us reach those goals have become harder to bring to the islands. The batteries that make EVs environmentally friendly on land make them too dangerous to transport across the ocean that surrounds us.
And when that Morning Midas sank with all its fuel onboard, it created an entirely different environmental problem. The Coast Guard had to station salvage vessels at the site to monitor for pollution. The ship went down in waters 16,400 feet deep, making any kind of cleanup nearly impossible.
What Happens Next
Nobody really knows how this plays out long-term. Maybe the shipping industry develops better safety technology that lets companies like Matson resume EV transport. Maybe manufacturers design batteries that are more stable and less prone to thermal runaway. Maybe Hawaii develops more local EV assembly or finds ways to source vehicles that don't require trans-Pacific shipping.
What I do know is this affects real people making real decisions right now. The car dealer on Maui wondering if he'll be able to stock electric models. The family on Kauai that wants to go electric but can't afford the uncertainty and extra costs. The local guy working at the port who's seen the shipping landscape change dramatically in just a few months.
For now, if you're determined to bring an EV to Hawaii, Pasha is your only option. Get your paperwork in order, drain that battery down to 30%, budget for the extra $275 surcharge, and cross your fingers that everything goes smoothly.
And if you're already here with an EV? Count yourself lucky. The next person trying to do what you did is going to have a much harder time.
This whole situation reminds me of something my tūtū used to say – “Da sea give, da sea take.” We depend on the ocean for everything that comes to these islands, but sometimes that same ocean reminds us just how small we really are.
Three thousand cars sitting at the bottom of the Pacific. That's not just a shipping problem – that's a wake-up call.
