Commercial EVs Poised To Reshape Last-Mile Delivery
However, last-mile facilities will need to accommodate the new EVs as well as the charging stations that will power them.
Manufacturers of commercial electric vehicles are poised to play an increasingly larger role in the logistics sector, as e-commerce demand continues to surge and strain supply chain responses.
A new analysis from Cushman & Wakefield says that industrial operations can be “dramatically enhanced” with electric vehicle fleets that can “improve efficiency, reduce costs and improve supply chain response to meet an intensified consumer appetite.”
Using electric vehicles to transport local freight can help operators lower their overall carbon footprint and improve last-mile delivery efficiencies. But “last-mile facilities will need to change radically—not only to accommodate the new fleet of commercial EVs, but the charging stations that will power them,” the Cushman researchers note. “Facility owners and developers will increasingly need to consider onsite charging stations that are integrated with a building’s energy management system (BEM), ensuring enough electricity to accommodate the large batteries of electric trucks—a major restructure that won’t happen overnight.”
Grid capacity will also matter to occupiers (including logistics companies, distributors, and retailers) when it comes to site selection. Charging commercial fleets requires adequate energy resources, as well as back-up generators – and investment in the charging infrastructure necessary to accommodate long-haul EV semis will become increasingly important. The Biden Administration’s $1 trillion infrastructure bill has earmarked $5 billion for a national high voltage charging network over the next five years, but private investors will need to step in as well, experts say.
“To create the approximately 500,000 public chargers the legislation calls for by 2030 to support ambitious EV sales targets, significant work remains,” the Cushman report notes. “The country’s existing roughly 100,000 public charging stations pose several
challenges, including inconsistent types of plugs and hardware, disconnected or inconsistent data availability, and disparate types of payment systems. For an expanded network of charging infrastructure to succeed, a more consistent approach to implementing industry wide standards is needed.”