The Israeli-based company Better Place has also parted ways with its high-profile global chief executive, Australian Evan Thornley, and haemorrhaged nearly $500 million since it launched in 2008.

There are fears for the company’s Australian-based workers after lay-offs at Better Place operations in Denmark and Israel.

Mr Thornley was the public face of the company when it launched its Canberra network of re-charge points for electric cars amid much fanfare in July 2011 with the ACT Government, electricity retailer ActewAGL and Rock Developments to build the infrastructure.

ActewAGL was also one of a number of investors to take part in Better Place’s $25 million capital raising exercise in 2009, and Canberra’s dominant power retailer has a $60 million, 10-year deal with Better Place to supply electricity for the network.

But only 13 of the promised 16 charge ports, where electric car drivers can top up their vehicles’ power supply, have materialised around the capital, despite a giveaway deal announced in December 2012.

The company’s future commitment to Australia looks much less certain now after it issued a statement saying it would slow down the pace of development here.

"From the global perspective, the Better Place strategy has not changed and expanding globally remains the plan,” the statement read.

“There has been a recent shift to focus on the markets where networks are deployed and cars are on the road, currently Denmark and Israel.

"This requires focused resource allocation and management attention which will result in slowing down pace in other markets for a while.

“Australia is an important front and an attractive market, which Better Place plans to cultivate as soon as we are ready."