The EV Charging Dialogue in the Commercial Real Estate Industry

Image courtesy of Naly Yang

I'm returning from an excruciatingly busy week of traveling.  I had the pleasure of attending two large conferences in Phoenix and Los Angeles with plenty of commercial real estate companies.  These conferences, expos, etc. all run the same gamut with booths and happy hours and fancy wi-fi stations.

But what I really look for when I attend these event is honing in on the dialogue.

What is being said?
What is important enough to converse about?
What are the idea generators at theses events?
Why do they find this topic important?
etc.

At both shows, involving large commercial real estate companies, I was surprised by the little amount of dialogue and attention that involved Electric Vehicle Charging Stations.

Most executives are probably wondering - "How does the world of EVs and EV Charging affect my business?"


In which I respond with another question:
Where is the place that people spend most of their lives? --- Work and home.

This impacts commercial real estate executives in tremendous ways!  Now you actually have to consider installing stations for tenants, employees, multifamily dwellers, etc. who are more sustainability conscious.

Whether they're business tenants or multifamily dwellers - how will you cope when a tenant rings you up and says, "Guess what?  I just bought a Chevy Volt.  Will you be installing EV charging stations here or should I move to a building where there are some."  

Who should be in charge of installing the station?
Who will manage it?
Should you charge tenants?
Should it be open to the community?
How many will you need?
Does your building have the capacity to install stations?

The EV and EV charging station industry is directly impacting the commercial real estate world in many ways - this is just one example.

SemaConnect, along with other companies, are part of the U.S. Green Building Council.  This organization brings attention to building sustainable spaces.  But the great thing about EV charging stations is that it is a sustainable amenity that employees, tenants, multifamily dwellers, etc. can utilize back and forth in home life and in work life.

I'd be ecstatic to attend another one of these shows and see a whole break-out session devoted to this subject because I believe it's going to be a major topic as more EVs roll out from top automakers, and the need for EV charging infrastructure grows.

When commercial real estate companies like Corporate Office Properties Trust, Tower Companies, The Bozzuto Group and so much more are starting to install EV charging stations - isn't it time you start the dialogue at your company?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naly Yang leads the Marketing Communications initiatives at SemaConnect, and manages the company brand.  She actively follows and reports on trends in the EVSE and EV industry.  When not brainstorming a new creative idea, reading, writing, or graphic design, she is an avid traveler, cook, and all around life lover.  Contact her at naly.yang@semaconnect.com or follow her on Twitter @Sema_Connect.