Reinventing EV Charging

Power in the pavement, lunch-break truck stops, and smarter sites—what CRE should know now

A short stretch of motorway outside Paris is doing something once reserved for science fairs: charging vehicles as they drive. Inductive coils buried a few centimeters under the asphalt are delivering 300+ kW bursts (and 200+ kW sustained) to equipped vehicles at highway speed—enough to keep a heavy truck moving without long stops. Detroit is testing the same idea on city streets. The message is simple: charging is starting to take place where movement already happens, not just where we park. 

For property owners, that matters because it reshapes where power is needed and when. If even a slice of charging moves “into the flow,” long-haul vehicles can carry smaller, cheaper batteries and rely less on fixed hubs—useful for logistics sites and highway-adjacent parcels. The reality check: embedding coils is costly, and broad rollouts will be measured; French officials and project partners themselves flag that scale depends on budgets, standards and maintenance. Treat it as a directional signal, not a 2026 mandate. 

Three innovations to watch (and the business takeaway)

Lunch-break refuels for big rigs

The Megawatt Charging System (MCS)—a plug and safety standard published by SAE in 2025—targets ~1,000 kW and above, pushing heavy-truck stops toward the length of a driver break. Think of it as opening a much bigger “valve” so trucks can get back on the road. For owners near freight routes, the practical move is to reserve space and electrical headroom now so you don’t have to tear up concrete later. 

Hands-free charging at busy yards

Robotic arms that line up and plug the connector are moving from demo to operations at truck sites and ports—“Electric Island” in Portland is a bellwether, and suppliers like Rocsys have shown repeated live trials. The win isn’t flash; it’s fewer missed charges, less night-shift labor, and fewer damaged cables as volumes rise. Consider it when throughput—and the cost of delays—justifies it. 

Battery-buffered fast-charging hubs

Pairing chargers with an on-site battery lets a site “sip” from the grid and deliver short bursts when several vehicles plug in—like a water tower that fills slowly and empties quickly. A U.S. Joint Office of Energy and Transportation/National Renewable Energy Laboratory case study shows this can open projects sooner where the grid is tight and help tame demand charges (fees based on your single highest 15-minute power spike). This is a concrete way to pilot fast charging at grid-constrained properties. 

What smart owners should do now

Design for optionality. When you trench or pour, add spare conduit and panel capacity so you can step from today’s 150–200 kW car bays to higher-power lanes later. If interconnection is slow, test one battery-assisted unit to learn your traffic without waiting years. Then track three proof points each quarter: results from road-charging pilots (power, uptime, cost), early MCS deployments tied to real fleets, and battery-buffered hubs opening ahead of grid upgrades. Those are your green lights to scale. 

Why this is good news for CRE

Tenants are already voting with their leases. CBRE’s 2024-2025 Global Workplace & Occupancy Insights survey found 43% of respondents say sustainable features influence rent negotiations, and 40% specifically weigh EV charging when picking space. JLL reports an average ~7% “green premium” across major North American markets. In other words, visible, credible charging upgrades don’t just check an ESG box; they support absorption and pricing power. 

Bottom line

Charging is moving from stand-alone pit stops to embedded power—in the road, at the dock, and in smarter hubs that match the grid. You don’t need to bet on a single technology today. Build the bones (space, conduit, panel capacity), add one or two flagship high-power bays or a battery-assisted unit where it makes sense, and let the data from pilots and tenants tell you when to step up. That approach keeps you amenity-rich, cost-aware, and future-ready—and positions your properties to win as the next wave of charging quietly becomes everyday.