Hawaiian Electric Co. has joined a nationwide campaign supporting the use of electric vehicles.

HECO said yesterday it joined 18 other utility companies across the nation in making the pledge at a conference in Detroit.

“;Hawaii is a natural laboratory for developing and testing plug-in electric vehicles,”; said HECO President and Chief Executive Officer Dick Rosenblum.

“;With short driving distances and our goal to have abundant renewable energy sources to use for off-peak charging, we can be the place people come to see and experience EVs in action.”;

HECO's initiatives include a commitment to buy hybrid electric vehicles for its fleet.