Airports are pivotal in driving the United States’ transition to electric vehicles (EVs), with flight hubs globally seeking ways to reduce aviation’s environmental footprint while keeping pace with evolving automotive trends.
Let’s explore which airport operations can shift to electric vehicles and identify the necessary electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) to enable this transition.
Which airport operations can be electrified?
In short, any airport operation utilizing a motorized vehicle can transition to electric power. Given the rapid pace of technological advancements, it’s foreseeable that even airliners may become electric in the near future!
However, currently, apart from planes and jets, all other vehicle types at airports can be replaced with electric alternatives.
Airside and landside transportation
Airports consist of two distinct sections: airside and landside.
The term “airside” encompasses activities and areas at the airport where aircraft operate, including the tarmac and runways.
Conversely, “landside” refers to areas on the opposite side of the airport where aircraft operate. For instance, when you drive up to the airport to drop off someone, you are in the landside area. Similarly, passengers remain landside until they proceed through the boarding ramp onto the plane, at which point they transition to the airside.
Many airports offer shuttle services, whether operated directly by the airport or through third-party contractors. These shuttles, along with other vehicles used both airside and landside, have the potential to be EVs. Learn more about EV charging for fleets.
Ground support equipment
The large aircraft we rely on for global travel rely on a multitude of smaller ground support vehicles for their operation. These include baggage carts, fueling vehicles, pushback tugs, and occasionally emergency response vehicles.
It’s worth noting that any of these smaller vehicles can be electrified, and in fact, many of them already have been.
Security
Many airports utilize third-party security services to patrol both landside and airside areas, ensuring safety around the perimeter, parking lots, buildings, and runways. These security vehicles, operated by third-party firms, have the potential to be EVs. To promote the adoption of EVs among security firms, airports can implement a requirement for these to exclusively use EVs in order to qualify for airport security contracts. This initiative serves to incentivize the transition to environmentally friendly transportation solutions within airport security operations.
Where should EV chargers be installed at an airport?
To advance the electrification of airport vehicles and support the use of EVs by the public, the installation of EVSE is imperative. This raises the question: Where should EV chargers be strategically placed within airports?
Terminals
As the primary structures at airports, terminals offer ample space to install EV chargers. These chargers can serve employee parking areas and accommodate the charging needs of the numerous landside support vehicles crucial to airport operations.
Other buildings
Airports comprise numerous buildings serving various functions. Any building accessed by EV users, such as warehouses and hangars for cargo shipping companies, can host EV chargers. These chargers cater to employees and company fleet vehicles.
