Better Place, OpConnect Ensure Continued Charging Access for Hawaii EV Drivers

HONOLULU, March 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Better Place and OpConnect today announced an agreement that ensures hundreds of electric-car drivers will continue to have access to the largest network of charging stations in Hawaii, which has more plug-in vehicles per capita than any state in the U.S.

The agreement calls for OpConnect to buy and operate the Better Place network and replace its charge spots with OpConnect charging stations.  Nearly 700 drivers have registered for the Better Place network, which has 77 charge spots (and a total of 154 charge points) at public sites on Oahu, Maui, Kauai and the Big Island.  Better Place and OpConnect, which plans to begin the replacement process as soon as possible, share the goal of minimizing any impact to drivers and site owners.

"With OpConnect's combination of technology, customer focus and commitment to Hawaii, we believe EV drivers who use our network and our site-owner partners will be in great hands with OpConnect," said Jason Wolf, Vice President of North America for Better Place. "The ecosystem in Hawaii has been tremendously supportive of Better Place and I'm confident it will help ensure OpConnect's success for the benefit of the Aloha State."

"Hawaii's Better Place network is a unique opportunity to accelerate our plans to serve drivers and property owners here," said Dexter Turner, OpConnect President and CEO. "This purchase demonstrates our commitment to Hawaii and we look forward to playing a role in Hawaii's progress to meet its aggressive green energy goals. We have a strong track record of innovating to give EV drivers and property owners the features they want and are excited to expand our reach in Hawaii."

Working with Better Place, OpConnect will take over operations and management of the multi-island network, as well as customer care and other aspects of serving EV drivers, almost immediately. The EvStructure Company, an EV infrastructure authority with local offices in Hawaii, will install and maintain OpConnect's Hawaii charging stations. Current and new members of the network will have access to all public OpConnect stations. New EV owners may register at www.opconnect.com/Account/Register.

"DBEDT welcomes the news that OpConnect is taking over Better Place's Hawaii EV charging network," said Mark Glick, Administrator of the State Energy Office of the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT). "We look forward to building a strong collaborative relationship with OpConnect to help support continued EV adoption in Hawaii and serve the State's growing population of plug-in EV drivers."

About Better Place
Better Place is the leading global provider of electric car networks that enables the mass market adoption of electric cars through an innovative battery switch model that makes driving electric cars more affordable, convenient and sustainable than today's petrol-based cars. Better Place owns and operates a network of battery switch stations and public/personal charge spots, along with the supply of batteries that power the cars, to provide drivers with instant range extension and the convenience to drive, switch and go across an entire region. Where possible, Better Place uses renewable sources of energy to deliver fully zero emissions driving. The World Economic Forum has named Better Place a "Global Growth Company Industry Shaper" for its innovative approach in advancing the global switch to electric cars. Check out www.betterplace.com

About OpConnect
OpConnect LLC, a subsidiary of ISO9001 certified Optimization Technologies, is a technology leader in electric vehicle charging systems. The OpConnect Electric Vehicle Charging System® is an end-to-end EV charging solution including charging stations, a secure wireless communications network, billing and charging station management solutions and mobile phone applications. OpConnect currently operates its electric vehicle charging system in seven states across the U.S. For more information about OpConnect, please visit www.opconnect.com.

About EvStructure
The EvStructure Company is a division of a local Hawaiian firm, Retrofit Hawaii, operated by managing partner Todd Ritter. The firm provides electric vehicle charging station infrastructures and installations across the nation, specializing in commercial and multi-unit dwellings. Learn more at www.EvStructure.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
In this press release and in related comments by our management, our use of the words "expect,"  "possible,"  "believe," "continue," "may," "will," "positioned", "promised" or similar expressions is intended to identify forward-looking statements that represent our current judgment about possible future events. We believe these judgments are reasonable, but these statements are not guarantees of any events or financial results, and our actual results may differ materially due to a variety of important factors. Among other items, such factors might include: our ability to complete testing and certification as expected; our ability to expand commercial operations and increase revenue; our ability to offer nationwide coverage in Israel and Denmark in the expected time frame; our ability to move forward with Battery Switch Station deployment in other countries; and our ability to attract new customers. Better Place disclaims any obligation to update information contained in these forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

SOURCE OpConnect, LLC