Maui Electric Co. plans to test the use of electric vehicles in its fleet under a memorandum of understanding with a California-based company.

Phoenix Motorcars is scheduled to launch the test program on Maui during the first quarter of next year, officials said today.

"We're very interested in testing electric vehicles from manufacturers like Phoenix Motorcars to use electricity generated by renewable resources during off-peak hours, and to determine whether electric vehicles can efficiently store that power and return it to the grid when there's high demand," said Ed Reinhardt, president of Maui Electric.

The test program is part of the Hawai'i Clean Energy Initiative, a joint effort between the state of Hawai'i and the U.S. Department of Energy that aims to satisfy 70 percent of the state's energy demands from renewable sources by 2030.

"This public-private partnership to bring electric vehicles to our state marks another significant development in the Hawai'i Clean Energy Initiative, as we seek to reduce Hawai'i's dependence on imported oil," Gov. Linda Lingle said.