Around 60% of the Swiss population live in rented accommodation - property owners are required to develop solutions to provide the necessary charging infrastructure.
In November 2019, new sales of electric cars reached five figures per year for the first time ever. By the end of 2020, this result had almost doubled. The final total of 19,599 new registrations corresponds to a market share of 8.3%. The result for plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) even tripled. (swiss e-mobility, 14 January 2021). A study by EBP assumes that electric vehicles will account for 30 to 50% of the new car market in Switzerland by 2035 and, according to the Swiss eMobility association, over 300 different electric vehicle models will be available in Europe by 2025 across a broad price spectrum. At the same time, consumer prejudices regarding the sustainability and range of electric mobility are being dispelled. Nevertheless, electromobility can only become a model for success across Switzerland if the charging infrastructure in rental properties keeps pace with developments.
The mobility of the future poses challenges for property owners
In recent years, car manufacturers, energy suppliers and product suppliers have invested heavily in the public and semi-public charging network. In addition to fast charging infrastructures along motorways, charging stations have been set up in highly frequented locations such as shopping centres (fast & point of interest charging). Wincasa is convinced that by 2035, around 85% of all charging will take place at home or at work (home & work charging) and is also basing this on the EBP study. As a large proportion of the Swiss population lives in rented accommodation, the rental market urgently needs solutions for shared car parks and outdoor parking spaces. Complex interrelationships from a technical, legal and organisational perspective need to be taken into account. From a technical perspective, an integral and property-specific overall concept including charging infrastructure, electricity production, (own) consumption and electricity storage and, if necessary, a property-specific networked view beyond building boundaries is crucial.
The challenges lie both in the technical area and in the operation of the stations. In larger property portfolios in particular, it is advantageous from the owner's perspective to pursue a uniform strategy geared towards the portfolio and the properties and to avoid a proliferation of installation types, products and operating processes. The following points should be clarified as early as possible:
- Definition of a basic attitude towards electromobility.
- Carrying out technical property analyses and assessing the existing electrical infrastructure before the first installation.
- Technical interface definition for basic infrastructure and charging point (see illustration).
- Development of a technical concept and definition of the technical requirements including recommendation of the charging point product with load management and expansion strategy.
- Identification and selection of the appropriate investment and financing model and derivation of corresponding rental agreement components.
- Specifications for the ecological quality of the electricity (sustainability).
- Identify partners for planning, installation and, in particular, operation (administration, support, metering, billing and collection).
- Determine the operating model for the entire life cycle of the infrastructure with definition of responsibility for operating services such as support, service, administration as well as measurement, billing and collection (charging power incl. meter rental, power tariffs, etc.).
Electromobility by Wincasa
Solutions are needed from private and institutional property owners so that tenants can also increasingly benefit from the advantages of electromobility in the future.
Wincasa expects around 10,000 to 15,000 charging points to be installed in its managed property portfolio by 2030. Wincasa has taken this development as an opportunity to develop an end-to-end electromobility service for the tenant market. As a central point with bundled, specialist expertise, Wincasa supports property owners in implementing their individual strategy. In order to find the best possible property-specific solutions, great importance is attached to independence from installation partners and product suppliers. At the same time, Wincasa ensures the smooth operation and maintenance of the infrastructure and guarantees tenant satisfaction. Wincasa is convinced that service boundaries in the property sector will continue to shift and that new constellations and partnerships will emerge. With our commitment to providing a tenant-friendly charging infrastructure, we are convinced that we are making a contribution to sustainable mobility.
The company
Wincasa is the leading integrated property service provider in Switzerland. With 970 specialists, we offer our clients a broad portfolio of services along the entire property life cycle, from planning, construction and management to revitalisation and repositioning of a property. Wincasa is a group company of Swiss Prime Site and manages around 230,000 properties with an investment value of CHF 71 billion. Founded in 1999, the public limited company is present at 31 locations in all parts of the country.
Services
- Property management
- Centre Management
- Mixed-use site management
- Construction management (client trusteeship, construction management)
- Strategic and construction-related facility management (incl. advice on sustainability, technical property/location analyses and vacancy management)
Matthias Schmid
Team Leader Sustainability
Wincasa AG
www.wincasa.ch