Charging into the Future: Grubb Properties Tops 100 Electric Vehicle Chargers Across Portfolio

By Grubb Properties Sustainability Team

April 16, 2024
 

Grubb Properties is powering up its commitment to alternative transportation, speeding past 100 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across its portfolio. The company is committed to providing chargers in every new multifamily community with parking.

The hundred-charger mark is a milestone for Grubb Properties. Sustainability Manager Colin Walker said, “Just two years ago, we offered just 36 chargers across the portfolio. We’ve worked hard to ensure that we’re ready to meet today’s needs and are prepared for an electric future for cars.”

And Link Apartments℠ residents are plugging in. In 2023 alone, Link Apartments℠ residents logged 3,997 charging sessions. The electricity used in these sessions provided the equivalent driving distance that you’d get from 11,703 gallons of gasoline, saving the climate from 181,063 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.

Wired for an Electric Future

EVs have risen in popularity in recent years. According to Axios, Americans bought a record 1.2 million EVs in 2023. That’s equivalent to 7.6% of the total US new-car market, up from 5.9% in 2022, and this percentage is expected to grow rapidly.

With eight states phasing out internal combustion automobiles by 2035 and others set to follow, multifamily owners and operators will soon find that electric vehicle charging is a necessity, not just an amenity, and that their communities need the electrical infrastructure to handle this demand surge.

Link Apartments℠ are developed with these future electrical needs in mind. According to Walker: “We know it’s not a question of ‘if,’ but ‘when’ we will need to increase our station count, and we’ll be ready for a swift expansion to meet our residents’ needs.”

Providing Green Options

Grubb Properties is also piloting a Tesla-sharing program at four Link Apartments℠ communities for residents who want to explore electric vehicles. Powered by Envoy, the program allows residents to rent a Tesla by the hour or the day.

Research has found that residents look for these environmental features in apartment communities. According to the 2023 State of the Young American Renter survey fielded by Grubb Properties and Wakefield Research, more than four out of five (82%) young apartment renters said that energy efficiency and environmental friendliness were at least somewhat influential in their rental decisions.