Electrified yard demand surges
Electrified industrial outdoor storage (EIOS) — yards with power and data for electrified fleets and rapid deployments — is being touted as a hot, in‑demand asset class by investors and tenants reported. Owners are now treating EIOS as infrastructure, not just parking, and it's changing the competitive set for last‑mile and fleet customers.
Institutional buyers have begun aggregating IOS portfolios: CanTex sold eight industrial outdoor storage assets (44 acres, fully leased) to Stockbridge Capital Group in October 2025. (financialcontent.com) CBRE’s market briefs show IOS vacancy running below 3% with “strong rent growth,” signaling tighter market fundamentals than many traditional warehouse buckets. (cbre.com) Prologis is packaging depot and hub charging as a subscription product through its OnDemand platform, including depot charging, hub charging and rapid “electrify in 5” deployments for fleet customers. (prologis.com) Third‑party operators are commercializing electrified yard services at scale: Lazer Logistics reports more than 2.5 million zero‑emission miles and is deepening its yard electrification partnership with Orange EV to expand electric yard‑truck deployments. (lazerlogistics.com) Infrastructure requirements are reshaping capex expectations — industry reporting highlights megawatt‑class chargers that can top up a 243 kWh battery in ~15 minutes while utilities warn fleet yards introduce large new grid loads that require coordinated upgrades. (tanktransport.com) Corporate adopters are already converting yards: Frito‑Lay electrified a 45‑vehicle distribution center in Manteca as part of a multi‑site rollout, showing large regional distributors will demand powered yard capacity. (pge.com)
