Berlin-based startup JUCR has just raised a total of €31.2 million through a new seed investment and debt funding round. The e-mobility innovators are aiming to deliver enhanced EV charging infrastructure across Europe, fueling a mobility revolution.
A substantially more sustainable mode of transport and helping to cut down emissions significantly, electric vehicles (EVs) are helping transport Europe on the road to net zero. Citizens across the continent are buying into EVs, manufacturers are developing sleeker options, and cities are offering incentives and benefits to go electric.
However, there are a few blockages as this mobility revolution ramps up. Namely, the lack of quality charging infrastructure across the continent. Having an EV is great in theory, but with a lack of charging infrastructure, in practice, it can become a little impractical. In fact, many drivers are still operating to use their traditional fossil-fuel-fueled modes of transport for longer journeys due to a fear of not being able to charge up. It’s a wider problem where there is both a lack of charging stations and a lack of an established and centralised payment model. It’s meant the EV movement isn’t hitting its full potential and isn’t meeting up to the sustainability promises it claimed so far.
Addressing this is JUCR. Born in Berlin, the company, founded by Richard Birich, Max Grollmann and Lukas Puls, aims to enhance accessibility to EV charging across Europe. Now, the startup has got a fresh capital cushion, fueling its contribution to the mobility transformation.
The details:
- €6.2 million was raised in a seed round from Vector Venture Capital and existing investors 2bX and German Media Pool (GMPVC)
- €25 million in debt funding was raised to finance their own charging parks
- Adds to a pre-seed round of €1.5 million earlier this year
- Total investment raised to date of almost €33 million
Richard Birich, co-founder and CEO of JUCR: “We are pleased to have found such a strong partner as Vector Venture Capital to make our vision become reality. While finding a suitable investor, we met interest from many venture capital funds, but chose Vector primarily for its technical expertise. We are also proud that existing investors participated in this round and take this as a strong endorsement of the quality work we have accomplished over the last eight months.”
Future-proofing electric charging
Founded in 2020, JUCR is developing an end-to-end charging solution for electric vehicles. Its app enables effortless access to 330,000 charging points for electric cars across Europe.
Not only does the Berlin-based startup give users access to one of the densest charging networks in Europe with its software solution, but it has also developed its own hardware solution for charging electric cars, which is now being brought to market.
While the use of electric vehicles is picking up in popularity across Europe, drivers are still having to rely on many providers with different payment models and modalities of access. JUCR, though, puts it all into one place, so it’s easier than ever before to juice up. It operates on a monthly subscription basis, making it financially accessible as well.
JUCR co-founder and CTO for Hardware, Lukas Puls: “The final breakthrough in e-mobility will only be possible with better scalability of the charging infrastructure. With a strong focus on vertical integration, JUCR is building the first fully in-house designed charging solution that can be scaled globally.”
Using the new capital, the company is pushing the further development of its own software and hardware.By 2025, the young company aims to establish its own pan-European charging network with at least 100,000 charging stations.
JUCR’s software CTO Max Grollmann: “Based on the current market situation with all kinds of outdated technology, there is an excellent opportunity for JUCR when it comes to shaping the charging infrastructure of the future. Especially in a sector that is going to grow many times over in the coming years, we should put all resources into a reliable and scalable ecosystem.”
Uwe Gerlinger, Managing Director of Vector Venture Capital: “Many people are reluctant to buy an electric car when it comes to buying a new vehicle. In large parts, this is due to the lack of a sufficiently developed charging infrastructure. We are very impressed with the technical capabilities that JUCR has to offer on both the software and hardware side. In addition, the company has a clear vision of how to fill the gaps in the European EV charging network.”