Better Place sells Hawaii EV charging network to Oregon firm
A Nissan Leaf electric car charged-up at a "Better Place" station located at the Taxi depot in Ala Moana Center. Better Place, which owns and operates 77 charge spots, or 154 charge points in the islands, has sold the charging stations to OpConnect. (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)
Better Place officials said Tuesday they have agreed to sell the company’s electric vehicle-charging network in Hawaii to an Oregon-based firm.
Portland-based OpConnect will take over the 77 Hawaii charging stations operated by Better Place and replace them with OpConnect units, officials from the two companies said in a news release.
OpConnect operates 18 EV charging stations around the country, including two on Maui. Most of its mainland stations are installed at hotels, military bases and rental car locations.
“Hawaii’s Better Place network is a unique opportunity to accelerate our plans to serve drivers and property owners here,” saidi Dexter Turner, OpConnect president and CEO.
Better Place offers a subscription-based model that features swipe cards used by members to access their accounts when they plug in at a Better Place charging station. The company has about 700 members in Hawaii. While Better Place has waived subscription costs since its entry into the Hawaii market, it had planned to eventually charge for memberships.
The sales price for the Better Place network was not disclosed. As part of the deal OpConnect will take over Better Place’s computer systems, membership agreements, and contracts with property owners that host Better Place charging stations.
