A role for industrial property
A report by the Australian Electric Vehicle Council notes that less than 0.5% of all cars on Australian roads are electric vehicles. However, to meet the International Energy Agency’s goal of net zero emissions by 2050, the figure must be close to 100% by then.
Industrial real estate occupiers and landlords could be the most influential in achieving this, says Gasmier. This is because many logistics companies and other distributors are looking to electrify their fleets.
“That said, there are a lot more considerations in industrial real estate compared to other places, such as making sure you have enough power capacity, battery storage and the availability of fast charging,” he says. “Industrial real estate is also the critical infrastructure surrounding supply chains, and supply chains are within scope 3 emissions reductions for many organizations.”
It can be tempting to hire hardware and software suppliers and charging point operators in a seemingly turnkey deployment. Despite this, Failure to assess and strategically plan EV charging infrastructure can lead to lackluster results characterized by increased spending, a stressed power grid, poor quality implementation or lost revenue opportunities.
The risk is being short-sighted, says Gasmier.
“There are new business models and technology emerging and organizations need to consider this to take full advantage of future value,” he says. “There are also considerations for load management systems, peak load times and power capacity.”
