Heavy-duty EVs have different charging requirements than passenger EVs. As electric truck guru Rustam Kocher explains in our recent interview, a charging hub purpose-built for heavy-duty EVs differs from a consumer charging hub in several ways. But it’s not just the physical design of the site that differs—the business model is a bit different too.

Passenger car drivers stop off to charge whenever their battery gauges (or their bladders) tell them to, so charging operators focused on this market have to choose likely locations and wait for customers to drive in. Fleet customers are more predictable—their trucks tend to run regular routes, and they need to count on being able to charge exactly when and where they need to. Therefore, companies that serve the heavy-duty market tend to offer charging on more of a subscription basis, and they build charging sites with specific customers in mind.

As any real estate investor will tell you, location, location, location is all-important. That’s why the vast majority of heavy-duty charging hubs are currently located in Southern California, near the giant port complexes of Los Angeles and Long Beach, in the midst of the surrounding sprawl of warehouses and logistics centers. But there’s more to choosing a site for a charging hub than simply picking a strategic location.

EV Realty was launched in 2022 to provide turnkey charging solutions for electric truck fleets. As its name implies, the company sees value in owning strategic locations. Its strategy is to acquire, develop and operate optimally sited, grid-ready properties to support regular freight and logistics customers.

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