Electric commercial trucks are beginning to scale, but operators face mounting challenges in building charging infrastructure amid grid constraints. With more than half of fleets piloting electric trucks, according to McKinsey, demand for reliable charging solutions is rising.
Startup EV Realty aims to address the issue by developing shared charging hubs in areas with available grid capacity. The company currently operates five hubs in California, strategically located near warehouses, ports, and industrial properties.
EV Realty has raised $75 million in new funding, led by private equity firm NGP with participation from the company’s management team, to expand its footprint across California.
One flagship project is a 76-stall fast-charging hub in San Bernardino, which will include four pull-through stalls equipped with Megawatt Charging System plugs designed for semitrucks. The site is expected to charge over 200 Class 8 trucks per day when operational.
Co-founder and CEO Patrick Sullivan compared EV Realty’s model to Digital Realty, the data center operator. “It was a new sort of infrastructure class for real estate. EV Realty is very much the same concept,” he told TechCrunch.
The startup leverages proprietary software to map electrical grid capacity, vehicle density, traffic patterns, and real estate use to identify optimal sites. While data centers typically seek hundreds of megawatts, EV Realty requires only tens, giving it more flexibility in site selection.
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Despite some hesitation among fleets, Sullivan noted that operators who have already adopted electric trucks are eager for expansion. “We see, frankly, more interest right now from the customers that have made the switch. They see the opportunity and want to do more,” he said.
