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Halo Energy CEO and founder Martin Tsang, pictured at his offices in the Hong Kong Science Park on February 14, 2023. Photo: Jonathan Wong

EV charging technology start-up Halo Energy plugs into Hong Kong Science Park as launch pad for global expansion

  • Halo has rolled out 200 charging points in Hong Kong, with major property developers such as Sino Group and New World Development as customers
  • It starts operations in Australia this year and is eyeing expansion in western Europe

Halo Energy, a hardware and software provider that landlords, property-management firms and energy companies use to build out their electric-vehicle (EV) charging business, is leveraging Hong Kong’s science park as a launch pad to build an international business.

Established in early 2021, it is supported by an acceleration programme run by the government’s Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation to help them grow in the city, across the border and abroad.

The programme since 2015 has provided assistance to more than 60 start-ups in the raising of more than HK$3.1 billion (US$400 million) in seed capital and support, including affordable offices, subsidies for professional services like legal, and advice on capital raising and business development.

Halo has rolled out 200 charging points at 44 locations in Hong Kong. Now, as it starts operations in Australia and eyes expansion in western Europe, co-founder and CEO Martin Tsang is confident that Halo’s science park headquarters is a solid base from which to grow.

Race for innovation: a peek into Hong Kong’s secret technology weapon

Hong Kong has lost many talented people over the past few years and hiring the right people can be challenging, he admitted. “However, [Hong Kong] has what it takes to lure global talent, who will follow the money and opportunities,” he said.

High housing costs and small living space, while an impediment, are not problems that are unique to Hong Kong, and housing is just one consideration for expatriates, Tsang said. HKSTP’s InnoCell “co-creation community” – an apartment block near the park that offers rentable rooms, work spaces, leisure facilities, communal kitchens, and services such as laundry – can meet the needs of young, innovative technology talents, he said.

“Compared to over a decade ago when I arrived at my first job at HKSTP, I can feel a change in Hong Kong’s technology scene,” he said. “I now see more people from different countries, and some former start-ups have achieved great success.”

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Halo, with just over 20 staff, aims to put in place over 1,000 charging points in Hong Kong this year. Customers and partners include landlords Sino Group, Link Reit, New World Development, Gaw Capital and MTR Corporation, in addition to property managers JLL and Urban Group, and energy firm Shell Hong Kong.
Halo competes with rivals such as Cornerstone Technologies on user-friendliness, reliability, safety, investment and operating costs.

“Charging facilities are not just hardware, they come with layers of software for a complete operating model to function smoothly,” Tsang said. “In Australia, where we have just started business, plenty of hardware previously installed suffers from low utilisation due to reliability and compatibility issues.”

The distinctive Charles K Kao Auditorium at Hong Kong Science Park. Photo: Shutterstock

Modern charging stations are managed remotely, enabled by automation software and cloud computing-enabled data transfer.

Around 90 per cent of Halo’s customers’ troubleshooting can be handled remotely, Tsang said, so on-site hardware repair and maintenance only takes up around 10 per cent of personnel time.

HKSTP’s introduction to the Australian Trade and Investment Commission helped Halo get shortlisted for the South Australian Landing Pad programme, which qualifies start-ups for up to A$80,000 (US$55,000) of support over 12 months.

Working with landlords, car-park owners and property-management firms, Halo will install and roll out EV charging networks in various Australian cities this year, during which it also plans to set up a branch in western Europe, said Tsang.

Before starting Halo, Tsang was the Asia CEO of Germany-based Hubject eRoaming Technology, which runs an online platform used by many EV charging service providers. In 2010, he co-founded EV Power, a mainland China-focused builder of charging stations, from which he has divested.

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