Nick Huzar co-founded Juicer Energy in 2023 to make electric vehicle charging more widespread and reliable. Now the Seattle-area startup is pursuing a broader goal: helping buildings manage rising electricity demand and costs.

Juicer installs and operates EV charging systems at apartment buildings, hotels and other properties. It is also developing battery systems to store electricity on-site and help manage the power needed for charging and other building uses.

The push comes as data centers and the growing use of electricity for transportation, heating and other needs put more pressure on the grid. Batteries can help balance supply and demand by storing energy when electricity is plentiful and releasing it when demand peaks. In some cases, they can reduce the need for costly grid upgrades or new power plants built to meet peak demand.

“We think there’s a big opportunity there,” Huzar said. He spoke at an event this week hosted by GeekWire and Bank of America at the Bellevue showroom of Ferrari of Seattle.

Other companies are similarly pairing EV charging with battery storage. Fellow Seattle startup Electric Era has deployed battery-backed fast chargers at retailers including Costco and convenience stores. ADS-TEC Energy and XCharge also sell fast-charging systems with integrated batteries.

Huzar, OfferUp’s co-founder and former CEO, sees an opportunity to make buildings more self-sufficient by combining hardware and energy-management software. He said Juicer has a project scheduled to come online in 2027 with 70 chargers in one building.

His longer-term vision also includes tapping the energy stored in vehicles connected to those buildings.

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