Three years ago, I laughed at a client who wanted to spend $85,000 installing EV charging stations at his strip mall in Fremont. “Electric cars are a fad,” I told him. “You’re throwing money away on virtue signaling.”
That client ignored my advice. Today, his property value has increased by $340,000, his occupancy rate is 100% with a waiting list, and he’s collecting an additional $2,800 monthly from charging fees. Meanwhile, comparable properties without EV infrastructure in the same area are struggling with 78% occupancy and declining rents.
I was completely wrong, and it cost my other clients millions in missed opportunities.
Here’s what I’ve learned since then: California commercial real estate transition to EV isn’t some distant environmental goal – it’s a massive economic shift happening right now that’s creating clear winners and losers in commercial real estate. Property owners who understand what’s coming will capture extraordinary value. Those who don’t will watch their assets become stranded in an increasingly electric world.
Continue reading “How EV Charging Can Make or Break California Property Investments”
