According to BetterPlace:

The state’s partnership with Better Place will play a significant role in the economic growth of Hawaii and will serve as a model for the rest of the U.S. for how green technology infrastructure can fuel job creation. The implementation of electric infrastructure will reignite the Hawaii economy with local jobs, while creating a model for renewable energy growth. It will also expose the millions of annual visitors to Hawaii to the real possibilities of life with clean energy and renewable fuel.

(Link: the full press release.)

Hawaiian Electric has signed on to build the infrastructure for the charging stations.  BetterPlace plans to have their electric vehicles in Hawaii by mid-2010, and mass-market availability of their vehicles by 2012.

This is either a positive sign in the right direction towards reducing our dependence on foreign oil, or the beginning of the next mega-bubble: green technology.  Hopefully this won’t end up like the EV1 drama in California, where we ended up with a lot of electric vehicle charging stations that virtually no one can use now. (Yes, I did watch and enjoy Who Killed the Electric Car.)