Rapid Charged
Nate Steele (MSES ‘22) is helping bring unity to the infrastructure that powers the growing number of North American electric vehicles.
Most people have experienced the frustration of holding a phone with low battery in one hand and an incompatible charging cord in the other. The stakes are a bit higher when the phone is a car and the cord is a charging station.
Nate Steele (MSES ‘22) is focused on eliminating that frustration for the growing number of North American electric vehicle (EV) owners.
As senior business development manager at eMobility company Hubject, Steele helps connect the fragmented EV charging ecosystem — ensuring drivers can plug in anywhere, regardless of car or charger brand.
Steele came to Hubject as a graduate of Northwestern's Master of Science in Energy and Sustainability (MSES) program, which is jointly offered by Northwestern Engineering and the Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy.
In his Hubject role, Steele focuses on innovations that turn disparate EV charging technology into a one-size-fits-all opportunity.
“It's really about providing this seamless charging experience,” said Steele, who joined Hubject in 2022. “One of the biggest challenges we face in the industry is a general lack of interoperability. Everyone has different strategies. You have to make all these different technologies work together.”
Hubject’s platform acts like a digital universal adapter, enabling EV drivers to charge seamlessly across thousands of stations – regardless of charging network, country, or vehicle brand. Steele splits his time between client development, technical workshops, and marketing support — a mix that reflects both the technical and communication skills he refined in MSES.
“The broad approach the program takes touches on a lot of different industries,” Steele said. “There's a lot of overlap within different fields, and what's really neat about the MSES program is it's a great primer for the leading-edge technologies in these various sectors.”
Through MSES’s blend of engineering, policy, and market analysis for energy and sustainability, Steele learned to speak the language of both technical teams and decision-makers — a skill essential for driving innovation in the EV sector.
That broad-based sustainability education also gives Steele an advantage when he is talking with Hubject’s wide range of business-to-business customers. The ability to help people better understand EV infrastructure and overcome misconceptions about it is part of what motivates Steele in his work.
What many people don’t realize, Steele says, is that charging an EV isn’t as simple as plugging it in. Behind every charge are multiple systems communicating to ensure electricity flows seamlessly from grid to car. Without that common digital language, the entire system breaks down — like a dying phone with the wrong charging cord
“There's just a lot of moving technology behind the scenes that you don't have complete visibility to,” he said. “Every day, every week, every month, new technologies are emerging, new companies are emerging and the experience is quickly evolving.”
The ability to quickly evolve with it is something Steele honed in the MSES program. It empowered him to find success in the EV charging industry while also providing him with a network of supporters to turn to throughout his career.
“There are a lot of folks rooting for you when you are an MSES graduate,” he said. “It's not just the professors. It’s also the program staff, all the guest lecturers, your cohort members. I have quite a big network of folks out there now because of the MSES program.”
“The broad approach the program takes touches on a lot of different industries,” Steele said. “There's a lot of overlap within different fields, and what's really neat about the MSES program is it's a great primer for the leading-edge technologies in these various sectors.”