A role for industrial real estate
A report from the Australian Electric Vehicle Council notes that less than 0.5% of all cars on Australian roads are EVs. However, to reach the International Energy Agency’s target of net zero emissions by 2050, the number must be close to 100% by then.
Industrial real estate occupiers and owner-occupiers could be the most influential in achieving this, Gasmier says. This is because many logistics and other distribution companies are looking to electrify their fleets.
“That said, there are a lot more considerations in industrial real estate compared to elsewhere, such as ensuring you’ve got enough power supply capacity, battery storage and the availability of fast charging,” she says. “Industrial real estate is also the critical infrastructure that surrounds supply chains, and supply chains are within many organisations’ Scope 3 emission reductions.”
It may be tempting to engage hardware and software providers, and charge point operators, in a seemingly turnkey deployment. However, failure to carefully evaluate and strategically plan for EV charging infrastructure can lead to lacklustre results characterised by greater expense, a stressed power grid, low quality implementation or missed revenue opportunities.
The risk is being short-sighted, Gasmier says.
“There are new business models and technology emerging and organisations need to consider this to take full advantage of the future value,” she says. “There are also considerations around load management systems, peak charging times and power capacity.”
