E
V Realty has just secured $75 million to launch a network of electric‑truck charging stations, including a 76‑spot hub in San Bernardino that could serve hundreds of Class 8 trucks daily. The company’s strategy hinges on a new real‑estate model that fuses logistics, industrial land, and energy infrastructure.
For investors, the appeal is clear: these hubs don’t need prime city locations; they thrive on acreage along industrial corridors near warehouses, ports, or distribution centers. Land costs in peripheral zones are modest, and the profit margin per charging stall can outstrip traditional industrial leases. As electric freight expands, each site could generate steady, high‑yield returns, not from tenants but from fleets needing reliable power.
The real challenge isn’t land but electricity. Fast‑charging heavy trucks require high‑voltage connections that are scarce, and utility interconnection can be slow and costly. In some markets, upgrading a substation or adding a transmission line can exceed the land price itself. Thus, site selection focuses on grid capacity rather than cheap acreage. EV Realty positions itself as a power arbitrageur, hunting for parcels that offer both space and surplus megawatts.
For commercial‑real‑estate owners and developers, this signals a shift: energy availability may soon rival location as the key value driver. Data centers already chase cheap power in Virginia and Texas, reshaping local markets. EV charging hubs could follow suit, turning underused parcels on the grid’s edge into lucrative assets. Infrastructure projects become real‑estate plays, with returns tied to permitting, grid negotiations, and long‑term energy contracts as much as land values.
EV Realty’s venture is worth watching. Success would create a new class of income‑producing property directly linked to the future of logistics. Failure would underscore that power, not dirt, remains the bottleneck in modern development. Either outcome highlights a new reality for CRE: sometimes the most valuable asset on a property is megawatts, not its location or design.
