A trial in Melbourne could finally open up electric cars to Australian employers

Australia’s EV boom is having a rental crisis – and it’s stalling change in our cities. More than 410,000 EVs are on the road, yet a third of households cannot charge at home; now Melbourne’s built-for-hire trial that puts shared EVs on the ground is growing in demand and could be the catalyst that finally brings renters into the electric age.

The contradiction is sharper in densely populated areas where many people live in houses.

Even with incentives, many renters simply can’t plug in at home, and relying on public fast chargers adds time, cost and uncertainty to weekly routines.

With home ownership delayed and borrowing capacity squeezed, long-term renting is now the norm for a growing segment of the population.

The ABS lists renters at around 31 per cent – around 2.9 to 3 million households – meaning this is no longer a niche strata problem; it’s a common barrier holding back EV adoption in all our major cities.

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Former Electric Vehicle Council head of energy and infrastructure Ross De Rango told South Bank Local News that EV charging is “often put in the ‘hard basket’ by OCs and building managers,” because “owners companies are responsible for all kinds of things inside a building, and EV charging is not at the top of their list today.” He is sure that priorities will change as prices increase.

“It will take about 30 years to convert most of the fleet to gas,” he said. “The amount that we spend today on electricity generators for road transportation is about $50 billion a year… If we do that, we will be using $20 billion worth of electricity a year instead of $50 billion a year.”

Meanwhile, a very different solution is gaining traction: bring an EV to the building and share it.

Greystar, a global build-to-rent operator, has partnered with Australian electric mobility platform Ollo to embed EV car sharing in its Haiku communities in South Melbourne and South Yarra.

Greystar, the global leader in BTR, is tackling this challenge head-on, by partnering with Ollo to integrate shared EVs directly into its Haiku communities in South Melbourne and South Yarra.

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Users manage everything through the Ollo mobile app, including choosing a vehicle, and the date and time of their trip.

Vehicles are unlocked and locked directly from the user’s phone as needed, eliminating the need for a portable key.

At Gladstone in South Melbourne, demand is already out of the gate – more than 645 booking requests in the first 100 days, with average journeys clocking in at around 17.5 hours and longer journeys being booked for several weeks.

For building services, those numbers suggest that citizens are using EVs as a real replacement for autonomous vehicles when they need them, not a novelty.

Greystar APAC managing director Adam Pillay says the reality of retrofit is a challenge for many older blocks.

Mark Broadley charging his electric car at Horizon Apartments in Darlinghurst. Photo: Damian Shaw

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“Integrating EV charging in apartment buildings is not always easy, especially in older buildings that are not built with the power to support multiple chargers,” he said.

“Remodeling requires upgrading switchboards, running new cables, and carefully managing the load throughout the building – all of which can be difficult and expensive.”

For new projects, the game is “future proof,” ensuring that “buildings can handle EV demand as it grows in line with changing regulations and energy needs.”

Most importantly, he says, it’s time to rethink how mobility fits into living space. “Instead of designing properties around private car ownership only, developers can offer access to electric cars as a shared asset – that’s exactly what Greystar is doing with its partnership with Ollo,” said Pillay.

“In densely populated urban areas, where space is at a premium and parking is expensive, these vehicles can be an essential way of life…They provide residents with the convenience of a car without the cost or commitment of owning one.”