Three former members of Tesla’s UK Supercharger team have raised £60 million ($76 million) to develop high-powered electric vehicle charging hubs in cities across the country, starting with a site in London on Aug. 20.
The new company, Hubber, was founded this year by Harry Fox, Connor Selwood and Hugh Leckie, who previously “oversaw delivery of 100+ Tesla Supercharger sites and 1,200+ ultra-rapid chargers nationwide” before Tesla’s UK Supercharger division closed in April. The founders said demand for ultra-fast charging in urban areas is outpacing supply, particularly among taxis, ride-hailing services, delivery fleets and buses.
“Early ultra-fast charging focused on motorways and ‘range anxiety’, but today the real pressure is in cities,” said Harry Fox, CEO of Hubber. “The fleets doing the most miles – taxis, ride-hail, delivery vans, buses – are electrifying fast, yet city infrastructure is lagging. Large, high-powered hubs are the key to enabling continuous, efficient and scalable operations, but persistent delays leave a critical shortfall just as demand is surging.”
The investment round was led by James Bayliss, former head trader at Elliott Advisors (UK), and Christopher Fox, former CFO of the British Business Bank. Hubber plans to build 30 hubs in its initial phase, offering a combined grid capacity of 100 megawatts. The first facility, in Forest Hill, south-east London, will be launched in partnership with RAW Charging, owned by Antin Infrastructure Partners.
James Bayliss, lead investor, said: “Urban EV charging remains one of the UK’s biggest infrastructure challenges. This uniquely skilled team now has the capital to address it, and we expect their work to make a significant and lasting impact on the country’s electrification.”