“Parking is becoming one of the most valuable pieces of EV charging infrastructure.” With that, LAZ Parking heralded its latest announcement, capturing a shift that has long been anticipated by professionals focused on urban mobility and property operators alike: when charging becomes as common and expected as the parking space itself.
LAZ Parking, one of the largest privately-owned parking operators in the US, is committed to deploying up to 50,000 Level 2 EV chargers across its portfolio in the US and Canada. This would span hotels, mixed-use developments, airports, municipal garages, and surface lots-the everyday destinations where drivers already leave their cars for extended periods. With more than 1.6 million parking spaces in 4,000 locations across 42 states and 536 cities, the LAZ “Charge Where You Park” strategy aims at integrating charging within the existing patterns of urban mobility, rather than asking people to detour to stand-alone charging sites.
The backbone of this is Epic Charging’s open-protocol CPMS, set to integrate directly with LAZ’s tech-enabled parking systems. Examples include monitoring chargers for predictive maintenance, processing payments, and delivering real-time analytics. Compatible with a wide array of OCPP-compliant hardware, LAZ will be able to select leading manufacturers without locking into their proprietary ecosystems-a flexibility that is key to scaling and future-proofing.
It also announced it would accelerate the development of its AI-powered Charge OptimAIzer platform, tapping in real-time data from vehicle telematics, charger performance, and utility pricing signals to balance electrical loads with a view to reducing energy costs. This kind of AI-powered energy optimisation is becoming increasingly important for operators of large distributed networks, especially in urban centers where utility demand charges can eat into margins.
But for the operator of a commercial property, the business case extends far beyond per-session charging fees. EV charging infrastructure has been shown to increase retail spending around it by as much as 3.2%, due to drivers using dwell time to shop, dine, or patronize local services. In competitive urban markets, charging capability can influence leasing decisions by corporate clients and attract high-value demographics such as urban apartment dwellers who do not have access to home-based charging options. Level 2 chargers, adding 25 to 40 miles of range per hour, are aligned with parking environments where the vehicle is stationed for an hour or more. They encourage longer stays and raise hourly parking revenues.
They can also be integrated with valet systems or bundled with other premium services. Dynamic pricing, to be based upon energy dispensed, time spent charging, or flat rates, will be necessary for the operators to recover the cost of electricity while meeting their revenue requirements. At scale, LAZ is uniquely positioned to address the emerging fleet electrification market. Corporate fleets, delivery services, and government agencies are all in high pursuit of reliable charging partners. The contracted nature of fleet agreements provides predictable income streams that are immune to the daily ebbs and flows in consumer demand. Significant discounted rates for long-term agreements lock in multiyear commitments, stabilizing cash flows for operators. Hardware flexibility continues the drumbeat of strategic advantages. OCPP-compliant designs open doors to interoperable solutions with industry leaders such as ABB, Siemens, EVBox, and Tritium.
LAZ will be able to tailor installations to site-specific needs-from compact wall boxes in constrained urban garages to higher-capacity units in airport facilities. Infrastructure can evolve to keep up not only with advances in battery technology but also developments in charging standards via module designs and remote firmware updates. Energy management is just as integral. Smart load balancing across multiple chargers eliminates expensive infrastructure upgrades, while off-peak scheduling reduces utility costs. Cloud-based systems like Charge Optim AIzer orchestrate a huge number of locations with consistency in performance and cost. US passenger EV sales are expected to reach 28% of the market by 2026. Scarcity in public charging has emerged as a competitive opportunity. Early movers are embedding charging into the fabric of urban mobility by repurposing multiuse spaces to serve drivers, businesses, and fleets. To infrastructure planners and property operators, the message is clear: the value of a parking space is no longer measured in square feet but in delivered kilowatts.