EVs in Natural Disasters: What Multifamily Owners Should Consider

Peak hurricane season is almost here, raising, yet another time, questions about evacuations and how people can safely leave an area to return after a calamitous event has passed.

Floods, downed trees and electrical wires, and long lines for fuel ahead of time all make for potential problems. There’s been growing debate — sadly with each side certain that its view is the only right one — over the role of electric vehicles during something like a hurricane.

In general, electric vehicles, their futures, and their needs pose general challenges for commercial real estate. Multifamily faces specific issues.

For example, people need to charge their cars in advance, just as drivers with internal combustion engines have to tank up. For the latter, there can be a race with other drivers to find a gas station that still has fuel available, and a power outage might mean the inability to run pumps. (Florida has some legal requirements for being able to pump when the power is out, but the law is a bit complex and doesn’t guarantee that a region in another state would have one as well.)

For EVs, though, owners in rental accommodations will look at the complexes as the source of power. The first consideration then, is how to provide sufficient charging facilities for tenants who might need them, given that the number could keep increasing at some yet-to-be-determined annual rate. While ongoing increases will need to happen anyway, an area prone to floods, windstorms, or wildfire might need more attention, even speeding expansion of charging capabilities.

EVs caught in a flood present a potential danger. Florida was warning people ahead of Idalia that the vehicles, or anything powered with a lithium-ion battery, can become a fire hazard. 

“We saw a number of fires associated with EVs from Hurricane Ian,” said Florida CFO and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis. “We know that the saltwater from storm surge can compromise these batteries, causing fires which cannot be easily suppressed. The best fire teams can do is keep water on the battery until the fuel burns out. If you’re evacuating and leaving an EV, or other lithium-ion powered devices like scooters or golf carts in your garage, you’re creating a real fire threat for your home, your communities, and first responders.” He then urged people to move such vehicles to “higher ground” to avoid a flood.

Does a multifamily property have such higher ground? Are property managers making arrangements for residents to safely put their EVs somewhere? What if people don’t move their EVs? Is there a potential for damage to the building or surroundings? Would insurance cover loss?

There aren’t a lot of clear answers, but questions that increasingly multifamily owners and operators will need to consider.