Real estate sector: Why invest in smart EV charging?

A smart grid, smart buildings, and smart charging. Together this powerful trio creates a system that enable the real estate sector and investors to provide resiliency to the electric power system, future-proof their premises to carbon-neutral legislation - and create a new revenue stream.

EU level regulations affecting real estate business

Currently, the EU is aiming to lead the change in cutting greenhouse gas emissions and decarbonizing the way we live: the ultimate goal is to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. Buildings account for approximately 35% of CO2 emissions in European Union countries. It’s no wonder that the building sector is currently under strict scrutiny. There are multiple strategies, plans, and regulations in the works that directly affect the construction and real estate sectors. One of them is a newly published Renovation Wave Strategy.

For a real estate sector, demands for boosting sustainability are not just requirements coming from the policy-makers: tenants and customers have needs to be fulfilled as well. One of the rising demands is electric vehicle charging and energy management.

The number of electric vehicles keeps rising, and urbanization shifts more people into living in multi-dwelling buildings with no parking or charging opportunities. Premises with capabilities to charge vehicles will face even stronger demand to provide a place to charge for all consumers.

44 million electric vehicles are expected to hit the roads by 2030. Charging will no longer be a nice little side dish, but a key in creating more value for real estate properties.

Smarter buildings with smart charging 

One of the main principles of the Renovation Wave Strategy aims to tackle the sustainability challenges with digitalization. According to the strategy, smart buildings enable production and use of renewable energy, and combined with smart energy distribution systems enable increased energy efficiency supported by local energy production.

Smart electric vehicle charging means a system where an electric vehicle and a charging device share a data connection. By doing it smart, charging can be managed, monitored, restricted and reported without speculation.

With smart solutions, charging power and direction changes dynamically: when the energy production is low or consumption in the premises high, charging power is automatically turned down. The vehicle-to-grid feature even allows cars to push energy back to the grid when needed.

Why should you invest in smart charging now?

Without smart solutions, installing EV charging stations creates an immediate need to increase main fuses, raising the overall costs of the process with renovation costs, higher monthly fixed fees, and long waiting time before the charging service is fully in use.

Essentially, smart charging is an easy way to manage operating expenses and protect net operating incomes. Without EV charging, rental properties will face a risk of shrinking gross rental income. Corporates also have strict rules for EV charging as a part of their sustainability programs.

Benefits of smart charging for real estate investors

• Meet tenant requirements
• Meet legislative requirements
• Protect your properties from carbon-neutral taxation
• Future-proof your properties with solutions that enable adaption of new technologies
• Increase your rental value
• Attract visitors by being visible on the smart charging EV network (via EV charging apps)
• Be part of the solution to build a smart grid and produce green energy
• Create a new revenue stream from energy balancing

Virta’s solution is charging business as a service – a full, smart EV charging bundle.

We can help you to accelerate the process of meeting legislative requirements and the demands of tenants and customers by including smart electric vehicle charging into your property management plan immediately.

Multiple industries are currently pursuing the chance to benefit from EV charging and include it in their portfolio to gain extra income. With us, you can provide EV charging with your own brand, but leave all the practical work and responsibilities to us. All the financial and legal EV charging service risks are handled for you. As the end-users interact with a brand that is already familiar to them, they engage in your service, making expanding your business effortless.

Fastest time-to-market with the lowest risks