Dublin Airport launches ultra-fast electric bus charging infrastructure

Dublin Airport has unveiled Ireland’s first pantograph electric bus charging system, enabling cleaner, quieter and more efficient shuttle services while supporting a faster, more reliable passenger journey.

Summary:

Dublin Airport has introduced Ireland’s first pantograph electric bus charging infrastructure as part of a €17 million investment in sustainable ground transport.
The ultra-fast charging system powers a new fleet of 14 zero-emission shuttle buses, improving operational efficiency and delivering cleaner, quieter journeys for the 2.5 million passengers who use the airport shuttle service each year.
The project supports Dublin Airport’s decarbonisation strategy by reducing downtime through opportunity charging and cutting annual CO2e emissions by more than 1,470 tonnes.

Ireland’s first cutting-edge, pantograph electric bus chargers have been unveiled at Dublin Airport in a €17 million investment in sustainable electric transport. Dublin Airport’s pantograph infrastructure will deliver ultra-fast charging for its new 14-vehicle, zero-emission electric shuttle bus fleet, which is operated by Aircoach and can accommodate up to 120 passengers per journey.

Pantograph charging is an automated high-power system that uses retractable charging arms to rapidly power high-frequency electric buses at the endpoint of their routes, removing the need for them to return to the depot to charge during the day. Together, the new charging infrastructure and higher-capacity EV fleet will reduce downtime and support more reliable, efficient services for the 2.5 million passengers who use the service each year to travel between the airport’s car parks and terminal buildings. A separate dedicated seven-bay depot charging facility provides additional overnight and back-up charging capacity for the fleet, supporting resilience across the airport’s shuttle bus operations.

“Dublin Airport is delighted to be the first location in Ireland to harness the benefits of fast, pantograph charging for our electric shuttle buses,” said Vincent Harrison, Chief Commercial and Development Officer, daa. “This type of charging is well-suited to high-frequency fixed routes, enabling smaller batteries and fast ‘opportunity’ charging instead of lengthy depot charging. This means cleaner, quieter and more reliable journeys for passengers. Our investment in this infrastructure also helps to future-proof Dublin Airport and advance our sustainability ambitions.”

daa’s €17 million investment includes major voltage upgrades required for this system and the pantograph charging infrastructure. Aircoach, daa’s service partner, has invested €11 million in the new electric bus fleet. The transition to electric buses from diesel will save over 1,470 tonnes of CO2e annually, contributing to Dublin Airport’s ambitious decarbonisation targets validated under the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). The new fleet is now operational at Dublin Airport.

“Dublin Airport is now among the top 13% of airports globally to have received certification at ACA Level 4+ for carbon management but we are not resting on our laurels,” said Andrea Carroll, Director of Sustainability, daa. “Decarbonising our airport vehicles is a key part of daa’s ambitious sustainability strategy. The conversion to electric fleet will reduce the carbon impact of passenger journeys to and from the airport, complementing other initiatives across the airport campus and increasing the resilience of our fleet.”