We read with interest articles such as this one that comment on the future of electric vehicles in Australia and the conditions required for a sustainable uptake.

For electric vehicles to become the norm there appears to be three conditions that must be met

– Price parity with petrol cars

– Availability of models to choose from

– Availability of infrastructure to overcome the fear of ‘range anxiety’

The first two conditions are on our doorstep. Price parity with petrol cars is expected by the early to mid-2020s and there are already around a dozen electric car models to choose from in Australia, with more projected to be on their way.

The third area, availability of infrastructure, is where electric vehicles and car parking assets meet. With a need to allay ‘range anxiety’ and also provide a convenient charging solution, are car parks a realistic option?

The parking industry is certainly not averse to innovation, and discussions continue around how best to improve customer experience within car parks. With services such as car washing; valet parking; uber and taxi ranks; click and collect parking options; and parking guidance used to contribute to UX, why not electric vehicle charging as well? But not just for shoppers.

Currently there are limited spaces for electric vehicles with charging options in many shopping centre car parks. And wayfinding signage to direct drivers to those specific bays is sparse. The convenience of leaving a car to charge whilst doing shopping is sound. But what about the vast number of ride sharing vehicles that are also on the hunt for a charge?

Perhaps petrol retailers will step in to provide charging? Uber/ride share drivers will take a break, grab a coffee, a paper and top up their car battery’s charge. This article discusses it in depth. But it may also be an option for car parks to offer this service. With ready access to amenities, cafes and retail outlets coupled with parking guidance to locate available charging stations, the fast turnaround of charging bays could transform the parking industry into a power supplier as well as its existing value as a property asset. There are details still to be nutted out: the speed of charging, battery loads and, of course, revenue and cost models.

But as the up-take of electric vehicles accelerates, charging bays and accompanying customer experience offerings have the potential to become a point of difference. Will your car park business model leverage it?

We shared this article on LinkedIn several months ago which outlines the issues our road networks face: congestion, road quality, the slowing decline in our road death toll, the impact commutes have on the mental health of drivers and now, a looming issue with funding as the rise of electric vehicles sees a fall in the fuel excise revenue the government receives.

Road reform is a hot potato for politicians– a long term overhaul is required as the fuel tax from the bowser benefits those who can afford more fuel efficient cars and places more of a burden on those who must drive decades old cars that guzzle fuel.

As the article shares, the revenue the government receives from fuel excise is almost equal to what is spent on road infrastructure. With the increased popularity of electric cars that don’t rely on expensive fuel, that revenue is set to decrease unless the national roads policy is addressed. That policy structure had various ideas raised as a solution, including motorists being charged based on the kilometres they travel, a congestion tax to deter entry into busy areas during peak times and possibly an emissions or air quality tax.

Unfortunately the government has recently announced it is shelving the inquiry into road reform citing its complexity and long term nature so for now, the status quo remains.