One of the companies that shared in a $2.3 million federal grant to build an electric vehicle charging network in Hawaii said Tuesday it will close its operations in the state as part of a shutdown of its North American operations.
Better Place, which installed 150 charging points at 50 locations statewide, will conduct an "orderly wind-down to fulfill all our commitments," said Brian Goldstein, Hawaii manager for the company founded in Silicon Valley but now headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel.
"We’re working to assure continued access to charging services and are committed to finding alternative arrangements to insure uninterrupted access to charging locations for our members in Hawaii," Goldstein said.
Goldstein is Better Place’s sole employee in Hawaii.
In 2011 the Energy Office of the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism awarded Better Place $581,943 in federal stimulus funds under its EV Ready Grant Program. Better Place was one of six companies and organizations to receive funding that totaled $2.3 million.
"Better Place has informed the state that it hopes to keep those charging stations operable under a different brand if possible," said Mark Glick, state Energy Office administrator. "While there continues to be investment in Hawaii for the acceleration of a comprehensive EV network, we regret the loss of a marketplace competitor and recognize the Hawaii EV market will continue to demand innovative solutions," he said.
Goldstein said he was not sure what would happen with the Better Place charging stations, the bulk of which are on Oahu. The company also has charging stations on Kauai, Maui and Hawaii island.
"I don’t have details on the transition yet. It’s open-ended, but we want to do it as quickly as possible," Goldstein said.
"I personally continue to believe in the transformational nature of what we are trying to do here. Hawaii was an ideal location to launch this, and continues to be so."
A spokesman in Better Place’s Palo Alto, Calif., office told Forbes the company will focus its efforts in two core markets, Israel and Denmark. Better Place has lost $500 million since its founding in 2007, according to Forbes.
