For electric vehicle drivers, there’s an added component. There’s the fear that though their car will make it to the airport, will it help them get to their next destination or will they be limited by the charge they have available. Will they have to return home to charge before showing a visitor the town? And will this worry be sitting in the back of their brain throughout their trip. And what of airport employees and their electric vehicles?
For a variety of reasons, airports are an ideal location to install EV charging stations. The benefits go beyond helping travelers and employees; in fact, they can boost business too.
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As we discussed in our EV basics blog on installing your EV charging solution, one of the key considerations is location. The obvious choice is a place with considerable vehicular traffic and, hopefully, a good amount of that is electric vehicles. However, you’ll also want to consider: EV adoption rates, power capacity, parking availability to allow EV charging, and whether or not you’re near a popular or desirable destination. For example, an isolated resort or spa may be in a remote location, but because it’s a destination, it may be a great opportunity.
As we caution in our installation blog, considering only high traffic areas creates an EV charging desert in more rural or out of the way areas. So, when it comes to that remote resort, what makes it a good option? As mentioned, it’s a destination in its own right, but more importantly is something we call dwell time.
As we all know, electric vehicles don’t charge in minutes. While DC fast chargers do speed things up a bit, because of their potential drain on the grid, filling a parking lot with all fast chargers isn’t always a great solution.
Level 2 chargers are far more useful when it comes to offering a number of charging stations over which you can disperse power demands. However, that means EV drivers will want to find charging stations at locations where they’ll be spending a bit of time. That is dwell time.
In other words, dwell time refers to the amount of time people will spend at your location or how long their car will be parked. For retail locations, EV charging stations may increase dwell time, but for locations that already have considerable dwell time, then charging stations are a great asset.
One of the features that makes airports a great location for EV charging stations is the dwell time. Often, people are there for hours to days, which means parking lots and garages are a great source of revenue for airports. In fact, in 2019, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport generated nearly $151.3 million dollars and other airports generated around $125 million. However, that revenue dropped during the pandemic and while a superior revenue generator, many airports are looking for ways to increase that.
With NovaCHARGE’s ChargeUP charging platform management system, as a station owner or host, you can create dynamic pricing structures to charge based on how long a driver stays connected to your charging station. For example, if they stay connected once the car is fully charged, you can increase the price. It’s a great way to help airport parking generate even more revenue.
The benefits of EV charging at the airport go well beyond revenue generation.
First, EV drivers are always looking for where and when they can charge, especially when they have to drive a distance. Range anxiety is real and airport charging stations can help alleviate that.
More specifically, while 90% of Americans live within a half hour of a regional airport (where flights are often limited or more expensive) 60% live that close to a major airport. That means that most Americans are driving at least a half hour to either travel or pick up others who have been traveling. It also means that while they wait or travel, they’ll be looking for a place to charge up.
In addition to the practical and revenue generating opportunities presented by airport EV charging, there are reputational and environmental benefits as well. First, area leaders, travelers, employees, and more will see, clearly, your commitment to creating a more sustainable and greener future. In fact, nearly 75% of consumers, whether they drive an EV or not, view businesses with EV charging stations positively.
Further, employees with electric vehicles will benefit from the inclusion of EV infrastructure at work and may, in some cases, pull in more desirable retail stores and restaurants. In turn, that attracts more travelers and boosts the reputation and profits of your airport.
And, finally, airports are part of a concerted effort to decrease CO2 emissions across the world. One way to lessen the carbon impact of airports is to provide opportunities for your airport and its travelers to decrease their emissions by helping to increase EV charging infrastructure. In essence, you get to be a part of a much larger environmental mission.
Much like other locations where EV charging is in demand, airports make an excellent location with benefits for business and drivers alike.