Electric Truck Charging Hubs Could Be Real Estate’s Next Asset Class

• Power plays: EV Realty is creating truck charging hubs that merge real estate and energy infrastructure.

• Lease and desist: Hidden legal disputes can derail office-to-residential conversions even when financing and design are in place.

• Loan appetite: Big banks are diving back into commercial real estate debt, betting on risk as opportunity.

Editor’s Pick

Electric Truck Charging Hubs Could Be Real Estate’s Next Asset Class

Electric vehicles may have captured the consumer market, but the real test of electrification lies in freight. Trucks move the economy, and transitioning them to battery power requires more than just better vehicles — it requires a new kind of infrastructure. That’s the bet EV Realty is making. The company just raised $75 million to roll out charging hubs for electric trucking fleets, including a 76-stall site in San Bernardino capable of serving hundreds of Class 8 trucks per day. What makes this story relevant to the real estate industry is not just the tech, but the possibility that these hubs represent a brand-new property type, blending logistics, industrial land, and energy infrastructure.

For commercial real estate owners and developers, this offers a glimpse into a future where energy availability becomes as important as location. We’ve already seen data centers chase cheap power in places like Virginia and Texas, reshaping local real estate markets. EV charging hubs could be the next extension of this trend, creating demand for underutilized parcels that happen to sit on the right side of the grid. It also reframes infrastructure projects as real estate plays, with returns hinging on permitting, grid negotiations, and long-term energy contracts as much as land values.

This is why EV Realty’s experiment deserves attention. If it works, it could establish an entirely new category of income-producing property, one tied directly to the future of logistics. If it doesn’t, it will serve as another reminder that power, not dirt, is the ultimate bottleneck in modern development. Either way, the projects highlight a new reality for CRE: sometimes the most valuable thing a property offers isn’t location or design, but megawatts.

For commercial real estate owners and developers, this offers a glimpse into a future where energy availability becomes as important as location. We’ve already seen data centers chase cheap power in places like Virginia and Texas, reshaping local real estate markets. EV charging hubs could be the next extension of this trend, creating demand for underutilized parcels that happen to sit on the right side of the grid. It also reframes infrastructure projects as real estate plays, with returns hinging on permitting, grid negotiations, and long-term energy contracts as much as land values.

This is why EV Realty’s experiment deserves attention. If it works, it could establish an entirely new category of income-producing property, one tied directly to the future of logistics. If it doesn’t, it will serve as another reminder that power, not dirt, is the ultimate bottleneck in modern development. Either way, the projects highlight a new reality for CRE: sometimes the most valuable thing a property offers isn’t location or design, but megawatts.

Overheard

The Hidden Legal Risks That Could Stall the Office-to-Residential Boom

For cities across the country, office-to-residential conversions are being hailed as the antidote to empty downtown towers and the housing shortage. The math on paper looks compelling: billions in subsidies, historic tax credits, and private capital ready to reimagine obsolete assets. Yet as the unfolding drama at Chicago’s 105 West Adams shows, the biggest risks to adaptive reuse aren’t just financial or architectural—they’re buried in legal documents, ownership structures, and old agreements that can stop projects cold.

The 41-story Art Deco tower, part of the city’s high-profile LaSalle Street Reimagined program, was supposed to be a flagship success. Primera Group and investor Marc Calabria lined up $183.5 million in financing, $67.5 million in tax-increment funding, and nearly $24 million in historic tax credits to turn 29 floors of vacant office space into 400 apartments. But Blackstone, owner of the adjacent Club Quarters hotel, and its lender CWCapital have threatened litigation, arguing an easement agreement prevents rezoning without their consent. That dispute, combined with a separate lawsuit alleging stolen development plans, has cast doubt on one of the most ambitious conversion efforts in the country.

The controversy highlights a broader truth for commercial real estate: adaptive reuse isn’t just about construction budgets or tax credits. Stakeholder alignment—between owners, lenders, operators, and developers—is just as critical. Legal encumbrances like easements, covenants, or even hotel operating agreements can carry as much weight as zoning or financing. Cities may provide generous subsidies to grease the wheels, but those dollars don’t remove the possibility of years of courtroom delays. In fact, the bigger the incentives, the higher the stakes and the more likely it becomes that rival interests will fight for control.

For the industry, LaSalle Street’s turbulence offers a cautionary lesson. Conversions remain essential to downtown revitalization, but the hidden risks can make timelines unpredictable and capital harder to deploy. Developers, lenders, and municipalities will need to account for litigation risk and invest more heavily in early legal due diligence. Otherwise, the projects meant to symbolize a city’s rebirth could become symbols of stalled ambition.

BofA’s Loan Purchase Signals Bank's Increasing Acceptance of CRE Exposure

Bank of America just moved to buy about $100 million of real estate loan exposure from Santander. This isn’t just a portfolio shuffle—it signals more U.S. banks are leaning into taking on real estate risk even as sectors like office and retail remain volatile. The deal suggests that some lenders see value (or potential yield) in acquiring distressed or less-than-pristine CRE debt, perhaps betting that prices have bottomed—or that they can reposition or restructure.

The timing is interesting. Interest rates are elevated, many borrowers are struggling with refinancing under tougher terms, and appraisal values in certain markets have slipped. For banks, this kind of acquisition can be double-edged: if underwriting is sharp, they might scoop up higher yields; but missteps or overestimation of recovery could expose them to losses, especially in sectors that remain weak (e.g. subpar office, overbuilt retail). Regulatory capital, loan loss reserves, and exposure limits are all going to come into play.

For CRE owners and investors, this trend matters. On one hand, it might provide more liquidity in the market: sellers of real estate loans could find more buyers. On the other, increased appetite from large, well-capitalized banks might push spreads tighter on distressed or “second-tier” CRE debt, making arbitrage harder for smaller or risk-tolerant buyers. And perhaps most importantly, this move underscores that banks are reshaping their portfolios, looking for CRE exposure as both risk and opportunity in today’s uncertain landscape.

Office-to-Residential Playbook

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Propmodo Daily is written and edited by Franco Faraudo with contributions from readers like you and the Propmodo team.

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