SACRAMENTO– Governor Jerry Brown's oil-reduction moves are accelerating adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), according to new Energy Goals for 2030 report from Stategen. Firms such as Powertree are helping solve related headaches for commercial property owners in this exclusive to GlobeSt.com.
Electric vehicle charging is the crucial infrastructure to serve the booming sales of EVs now underway in California. But most new EV chargers are going into single-family homes or commercial real estate spaces such as parking garages, business parks and retail centers. However, the majority of Californians live in apartment buildings, a market that is vastly underserved. Apartment owners have little incentive to retrofit or install EV chargers, but a January 2015 law (AB2565, Tenant Right to an EV Charger) requires them to accommodate an EV charger that a tenant may want to install. Property owners are required to accommodate electric vehicle charging, such as bringing the power and meter to the charger, at their expense.
To solve those cost challenges, companies are now offering turnkey packages of EV chargers and clean energy services for apartment building owners. These offerings range from prewiring parking stalls, called make ready, using existing building electrical capacity when a tenant with an EV moves in and needs a charger. Others are offering more comprehensive services, some of which include income-stream benefits to the property owner with the use of solar photovoltaics, EV charging and onsite battery storage system.
According to Strategen executive director Janice Lin, San Francisco-based Powertree is a “silo buster” exemplifying an innovative model to accelerate solutions, saying “It's building a network across California with particular aim at apartment and residential mixed-use properties whereby there is no out-of-pocket cost to the property owner. Powertree's turnkey services arrange prices, handle the maintenance and sell direct to tenants from the web.”
Stacey Reineccius, CEO of Powertree, sees opportunities for owners and operators to find flexible alternatives that not only manage cost but attract tenants as well. He tells GlobeSt.com: “The sea-change in consumer preference for EV and EV-hybrid cars is putting pressure on apartment owners but is also an amenity demand many owners are taking advantage of.”
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Lisa Brown
Lisa Brown is an editor for the south and west regions of GlobeSt.com. She has 25-plus years of real estate experience, with a regional PR role at Grubb & Ellis and a national communications position at MMI. Brown also spent 10 years as executive director at NAIOP San Francisco Bay Area chapter, where she led the organization to achieving its first national award honors and recognition on Capitol Hill. She has written extensively on commercial real estate topics and edited numerous pieces on the subject.
