Article | Future Cities
Business Insights | Fuel Shock to Plug Load: What the Middle East conflict means for EV uptake and buildings
Fuel shock is fast-tracking EV adoption, reshaping demands on buildings, with charging, capacity and infrastructure now central to how assets are designed, leased and managed.
June 10, 2026
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The current conflict in the Middle East has once again exposed the fragility of global fossil fuel supply chains. For Australia, heavily reliant on imported refined fuels, the impacts have been immediate: rising petrol prices, increased cost pressure, and renewed focus on energy security.
Energy shocks, however, don’t just disrupt. They accelerate transitions already underway.
In Australia’s case, fuel volatility is reinforcing the shift toward electric vehicles (EVs), pushing electrified transport firmly into the mainstream. Increasingly, that shift is not just playing out on roads, but inside and around commercial buildings.
As Emma Baird, electrical engineer and CBRE Sustainability Director, notes: “Electric vehicle uptake isn’t being driven just by sustainability targets anymore. It’s being driven by cost certainty. People are actively looking to reduce exposure to fuel price volatility.”
That shift is rapidly translating into expectations of the built environment.
In offices, tenants increasingly see charging as a baseline amenity. In industrial assets, the equation is shifting as fleet operators respond to diesel price volatility.
At the same time, expectations of building performance are evolving more broadly. As Tim Cournall, CBRE’s Pacific Head of Office Leasing has observed: “We’re seeing growing demand from occupiers who want to lease in 100% electric buildings, aligning with their own net zero commitments.”
While full electrification of buildings remains complex and often capital intensive, the direction of travel is clear, and tenants are moving faster than infrastructure in many cases.
As Emma Baird explains: “The issue isn’t how much energy we use. It’s when we use it. EV charging can either amplify peak demand problems or help solve them, depending on how it’s managed.”
For asset owners and occupiers, this creates a practical tension: balancing tenant demand for charging, with limited electrical headroom, and broader net zero commitments.
Rather than asking simply whether a building can support charging, the platform helps answer more meaningful questions:
The next phase will require careful co-ordination, aligning tenant demand, infrastructure capability, and investment timing. Because while the shift to electrification is accelerating, delivering it at scale will ultimately depend on what buildings and their electrical systems can support.
Energy shocks, however, don’t just disrupt. They accelerate transitions already underway.
In Australia’s case, fuel volatility is reinforcing the shift toward electric vehicles (EVs), pushing electrified transport firmly into the mainstream. Increasingly, that shift is not just playing out on roads, but inside and around commercial buildings.
EV Uptake Is Accelerating Fast
The pace of change is now material. The Australian Automobile Association’s latest EV Index shows 46% of new vehicle sales in May were EVs, hybrids or plug in hybrids, with internal combustion engine vehicles now making up just 54%, down from around 74% in 2025.As Emma Baird, electrical engineer and CBRE Sustainability Director, notes: “Electric vehicle uptake isn’t being driven just by sustainability targets anymore. It’s being driven by cost certainty. People are actively looking to reduce exposure to fuel price volatility.”
That shift is rapidly translating into expectations of the built environment.
Charging Demand Is Becoming Immediate
Retail landlords are already seeing the impact, with reports that use of public EV charging in shopping centres is in some centres doubling week on week. Charging is becoming a destination driver, influencing where people shop, work and spend time.In offices, tenants increasingly see charging as a baseline amenity. In industrial assets, the equation is shifting as fleet operators respond to diesel price volatility.
At the same time, expectations of building performance are evolving more broadly. As Tim Cournall, CBRE’s Pacific Head of Office Leasing has observed: “We’re seeing growing demand from occupiers who want to lease in 100% electric buildings, aligning with their own net zero commitments.”
While full electrification of buildings remains complex and often capital intensive, the direction of travel is clear, and tenants are moving faster than infrastructure in many cases.
The Real Constraint: Capacity and Timing
The key challenge emerging is not total energy use, but electrical capacity and peak demand. EV charging, particularly if unmanaged, can coincide with existing demand peaks, creating pressure on infrastructure that was never designed for these loads.As Emma Baird explains: “The issue isn’t how much energy we use. It’s when we use it. EV charging can either amplify peak demand problems or help solve them, depending on how it’s managed.”
For asset owners and occupiers, this creates a practical tension: balancing tenant demand for charging, with limited electrical headroom, and broader net zero commitments.
From Demand to Delivery: Turning Feasibility into Action
To navigate this complexity, CBRE has partnered with Orkestra, supported by funding from ARENA (the Australian Renewable Energy Agency), in developing an Australian software platform to model demand and track the financial performance of EV charging infrastructure.Rather than asking simply whether a building can support charging, the platform helps answer more meaningful questions:
- How much charging demand will this asset realistically attract?
- What charger types align with user behaviour and dwell time?
- How will utilisation change over time?
As Emma Baird reflects: “The biggest gap in the market has been understanding real demand. Not every site needs the same solution, and not all infrastructure performs the same way. Good modelling is what allows you to size and stage investment properly.”
By focusing on how infrastructure performs in practice, rather than just technical feasibility, the approach supports more targeted, staged investment decisions.
A Co-ordinated Transition
The Middle East conflict is a reminder that electrification is not just about decarbonisation. It is also about resilience. And for the property sector, the implication is clear: EV charging cannot be treated as an add-on.The next phase will require careful co-ordination, aligning tenant demand, infrastructure capability, and investment timing. Because while the shift to electrification is accelerating, delivering it at scale will ultimately depend on what buildings and their electrical systems can support.
