Blue Earth Summit

Hydro EV joins Blue Earth Ventures: unlocking the next generation of EV charging

For the first Blue Earth Podcast of 2026, Guy Hayler sat down with Jack Curtis-Grange, founder of Hydro EV, to explore one of the most pragmatic and ambitious infrastructure solutions we’ve heard in a long time.

As we head towards our next Blue Earth Investment Forum at the end of January, delivered in partnership with HSBC Innovation Banking and Joelson, we’re delighted to announce Hydro EV as our latest Blue Earth Ventures Member, now actively raising £500k through the Blue Earth investor network.

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From early renewables to a hard reality check

Jack’s journey into energy started early. Straight out of school at 17, he found himself working in the renewable energy sector, holding conversations with players like Tesla long before battery storage was mainstream. But an abrupt government cut to feed-in tariffs wiped out the business model overnight.

That early lesson, that policy, infrastructure and reality don’t always align with ambition, shaped everything that followed.

After years building commercial expertise in media and publishing (including senior roles across some of the UK’s biggest titles), COVID triggered a reassessment. A move to Mallorca, time to think, and a return to energy led Jack back into battery storage, and ultimately to electric vehicles.

What he found there was a problem nobody was solving properly.

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The real blocker for EV adoption: the grid

Hydro EV began with a simple ambition: become a charge point operator (CPO). But like most operators, Jack and his team hit the same wall repeatedly:

• Grid connections refused

• Five to ten year waits

• Multi-million-pound cable digs

• Prime roadside locations deemed “unviable”

Around 70% of potential UK EV charging sites are currently impossible due to grid constraints.

Meanwhile, drivers are left with poorly located chargers, inconsistent speeds, and growing range anxiety.

Hydro EV took a different approach.

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Off-grid EV charging, done properly

Instead of forcing more demand onto an already congested electricity grid, Hydro EV builds off-grid microgrids that generate their own power on site.

Their model:

• Connect to the gas grid (far less congested than electricity)

• Generate power via the world’s most efficient small gas turbine

• Store energy using battery storage

• Deliver reliable, ultra-fast charging exactly where drivers need it

The result?

• Sites in locations competitors can’t access

• Lower energy costs (around 50% cheaper than grid electricity)

• Consistent charging speeds

• Stronger unit economics

Hydro EV is also hydrogen-ready, fuel-agnostic, and backed by green gas certificates, replacing every unit of gas used with biomethane or hydrogen elsewhere in the system.

It’s not ideological. It’s pragmatic, and it works.

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Building for the future, not yesterday’s EVs

While many operators are still installing 150–200kW chargers, Hydro EV is designing sites ready for 400–500kW charging, future-proofed for the next generation of vehicles.

As Jack puts it: EV infrastructure shouldn’t just be sustainable, it needs to outcompete what came before.

And crucially, Hydro EV doesn’t compete head-on with existing networks like InstaVolt or Gridserve. Instead, it complements them, unlocking motorway junctions, A-roads and high-traffic locations where grid-connected chargers simply can’t go.

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From concept to concrete

Hydro EV has:

• Closed a £60k pre-seed

• Built an experienced team from leading CPOs and energy firms

• Partnered with Savills on land acquisition and planning

• Submitted its first four land offers

• Developed a pipeline of flagship roadside sites with traffic flows of 100k+ vehicles per day

The next step is delivery.

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The raise: £500k seed round

Hydro EV is now raising £500,000 to:

• Secure planning on its first flagship sites

• Finalise technical designs

• Expand land acquisition

• Reach ready-to-build status

This unlocks the next phase: a significantly larger infrastructure raise to scale nationally, and eventually internationally.

In 3–5 years, Hydro EV aims to operate 30–40 live sites across the UK, enabling drivers to travel the length of the country using off-grid charging alone.

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Why this matters to Blue Earth

Hydro EV sits exactly where Blue Earth focuses its energy:

• Real infrastructure

• Systems change

• Pragmatic climate solutions

• Strong economics aligned with impact

This isn’t theory. It’s execution.

We’re proud to support Jack and the Hydro EV team as they bring a critical missing piece of the EV transition to market, and excited to connect them with aligned investors through Blue Earth Ventures and the upcoming Investment Forum.

👉 Interested in the Hydro EV raise?
Reach out to the Blue Earth team to be connected into the £500k seed round.