LaSalle Investment Management is playing into an emerging theme of creating real estate for fully electric fleet vehicle companies.
The global firm has revealed the creation of a partnership with Volta Trucks, a full-electric commercial vehicle manufacturer and services provider.
In the first instance, together they are launching the first “Volta Trucks Hub” in the UK. The Hub will serve the battery electric Volta Zero vehicles that are set to operate on the streets of London from early 2023. The Hub is the second service and maintenance facility announced by Volta Trucks, after Bonneuil-sur-Marne in Paris, with further centres in other European cities to be announced in due course.
LaSalle explained how Volta Trucks will soon begin fitting out the debut facility in London, which is on White Hart Lane in Tottenham, near many of Volta Trucks initial UK-based customers, and within reach of all of east and west London’s significant logistics centres.
The facility covers 30,000 ft2, operating eight workshop bays. It will also accommodate a showroom, admin offices, a Volta Trucks Academy training centre and call centre.
LaSalle said the refurbishment of the facility provides a net zero carbon property given it has a photovoltaic panel system on its roof, and a passive solar wall, optimising the heating and ventilation of the building. It is also designed with a charging infrastructure to support 50kW fast charging of Volta Zero vehicles while they are being maintained. Overall, the facility has an A+ EPC rating and has been designed to achieve the BREAAM ‘Excellent’ rating.
The Volta Trucks Hub in London is part of a wider strategy that will see a vehicle service offering across all launch locations of Paris, London, Madrid, Milan, the Rhine-Ruhr region of Germany, and the Randstad region of the Netherlands.
Edd Fitch, director of asset management at LaSalle, said: ‘This Hub will bring Volta Trucks’ innovative, full-electric commercial vehicles to the UK’s logistics sector, supporting our collective ambition for cleaner and more sustainable city centre environments.’
‘LaSalle has managed an extensive refurbishment of the facility at White Hart Lane to create a market-leading Net Zero Carbon logistics property in operation, and we continue to invest in our property portfolio across Europe to meet the ever-evolving demands of future tenants around sustainability, wellbeing, quality, amenities and infrastructure.’
