Green is the new black, literally and figuratively. Sustainability trends are hot across nearly every consumer segment. Not only do sustainability efforts attract customers, or in the case of the airport, travelers, but the potential cost savings and revenue boost can help keep your airport's books in the black as well.
In fact, airport EV charging is anticipated to become a $1.4 billion business, globally, by 2031.While capitalizing on sustainability isn’t always the first goal, it is a very real possibility and definitely a benefit of green initiatives like airport EV charging.
Quick Links:
- Sustainable Travel and Travel Trends
- The Environmental Impact of Air Travel and Airports
- What Makes a Sustainable Airport?
- How Airport EV Charging Can Improve Sustainable Travel
Sustainable Travel and Travel Trends
If you’ve used popular search engines to purchase airline tickets recently, you may have noticed information about carbon emissions included with the cost. Information like that is a direct response to the growing awareness of the environmental impact of transportation.
Today's travelers are far more mindful about the impact their actions have on the planet and are actively seeking ways to minimize their environmental footprint. In fact, a record 69% of travelers are seeking sustainable options. From purchasing flights with lower emissions to looking for transportation hubs that support their own efforts, these travelers are active in their pursuit of reducing their carbon footprint.
As a result, airports that offer EV charging stations not only meet the growing demand from eco-conscious travelers, but they also position themselves as leaders in sustainable travel.
Further, airports, as transportation hubs, with fleet vehicles of their own, have a unique opportunity to contribute to sustainable travel by integrating electric vehicles into operations and including EV charging infrastructure in facility plans.
The Environmental Impact of Air Travel and Airports
Recent news have highlighted the environmental impact of air travel, specifically as it relates to celebrities and their private jets. However, that should, in no way, imply that other air travel is sustainable.
In fact, airports have a significant impact on the environment, from greenhouse gas emissions to noise pollution and habitat disruption. Primarily, airplanes contribute to climate change through carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution. However, air travel also emits other pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), and other particulate matter. And, when it comes to comparing air travel to other modes of transportation, air travel doesn’t fare well.
In fact, your car, provided you’re using a combustion engine, emits roughly 4.6 metric tons of CO2 annually. In comparison, one long trip on an airplane emits about 14% of your yearly car travel. A round trip? 28%. It starts to become clearer why air travel itself is, increasingly, a factor for eco-conscious travelers.
And yet, airports have environmental implications beyond just air travel. Both construction and airport operations involve significant energy consumption and waste generation. Airport operations are complex and involve a lot of moving parts, both for air travel and airport amenities. Vehicular traffic alone includes a lot of fleet vehicles, from those belonging to airlines to those required for airport operations.
Additionally, airports contribute to local air and noise pollution, impacting nearby communities and ecosystems. And, airports often require vast amounts of land for infrastructure, leading to habitat destruction and, in some cases, impacting land use, wetlands, and more.
With all of this in mind, there have been considerable efforts to mitigate the environmental impact of air travel and airports. From the development of more fuel-efficient aircraft and the implementation of alternative fuels such as biofuels to the improvement of air traffic management systems to reduce congestion and emissions, a good portion of the focus has been on aircrafts themselves.
However, many airports are learning that mitigating environmental impact can often be a case of finding ways to offset and balance activities and operations that have a significant impact. For example, airports are increasingly investing in renewable energy sources, implementing noise-reduction measures, and adopting sustainable practices in waste management and water conservation.
One other big move they’re making? Shifting to EV fleets while adding additional EV infrastructure for passengers, travelers, and employees to help everyone reduce their carbon footprint.
What Makes a Sustainable Airport?
With the understanding that sustainability is a focus for a lot of travelers, more and more airports are seeking ways to make their airport desirable to those travelers. Thankfully, creating a sustainable airport can involve a variety of factors including:
1. Improve Energy Efficiency. Implementing energy-efficient technologies and practices throughout the airport, such as LED lighting, efficient HVAC systems, and renewable energy sources like solar panels or wind turbines, can significantly reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
2. Enhance Water Conservation. Installing water-saving fixtures, implementing wastewater treatment systems, and utilizing rainwater harvesting techniques can help minimize water consumption and reduce strain on local water resources.
3. Improve Waste Management. Implementing comprehensive waste management programs to reduce, reuse, and recycle waste generated at the airport. This can include initiatives such as composting organic waste, recycling materials like paper, plastic, and glass, and minimizing single-use plastics. This includes airport vendors as well as the airlines themselves.
4. Work Towards Carbon Neutrality. As noted above, aircrafts themselves have yet to reach carbon reduction aspirations so airports must work towards carbon neutrality. It starts with measuring emissions and working on reducing those emissions with carbon offsetting initiatives such as reforestation or renewable energy projects.
6. Invest in Biodiversity and Conservation. Landscaping designs that contribute to local biodiversity, preserve natural habitats, and support wildlife management programs can not only improve aesthetics and encourage wildlife, but they can also reduce the risk of bird strikes and other wildlife hazards.
7. Boost Public Transportation and Access. Providing convenient and sustainable transportation options to and from the airport, such as public transit, electric shuttles, bicycle lanes, and carpooling incentives, can reduce traffic congestion and emissions.
8. Electrify Fleets and Build EV Infrastructure. While public transportation, especially EV buses and shuttles, are a boon to cleaner transportation, EV infrastructure can help support individual EV use as well as enhancing EV rental fleet options. The more EV infrastructure available, the easier it gets for all stakeholders to invest in electric vehicles.
While not the only mechanisms to improve sustainability (as part of that effort needs to be work to mitigate what may be unavoidable consequences of a changing climate), integrating these elements into airport planning, design, and operations, airports can also help to meet the needs of passengers, airlines, and surrounding communities.
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How Airport EV Charging Can Improve Sustainable Travel
Given that decreasing the carbon footprint of air travel is currently challenging, airports must find other ways to improve and enhance sustainability efforts. One effort that can have a significant impact not just on sustainable travel but also on public perception regarding sustainability efforts is to implement airport EV charging.
EV charging infrastructure at airports is multi-faceted. The benefits include:
- Reducing emissions for travelers, employees, and airport fleets.
- Encouraging EV adoption among those same parties as well as supporting EV rental fleets.
- Enhancing convenience for EV drivers who travel or for individuals who rent electric vehicles from car rental companies.
- Demonstrating environmental leadership which enhances reputation for stakeholders and attracts eco-conscious travelers and business partners.
- Adapting to regulatory changes that require stricter emissions standards
However, one of the biggest advantages airports have when it comes to EV charging infrastructure is that airport EV charging has three distinct applications.
Airport EV Charging Applications
1. EV charging for passengers, employees, and other individuals- From cell lots to long and short term parking, one thing airports have plenty of are parking lots. That means there are plenty of opportunities to add EV infrastructure creating opportunities for public EV charging and all the benefits that come along with that, like revenue and reputational boosts.
2. EV charging for EV rental fleets- Rental car companies are, increasingly, investing in rental fleet EVs and that means increased demand for EV infrastructure at rental car locations. With 75% of Americans reporting they’d rent an EV to test one out, vacation or traveling presents the perfect opportunity to do so as many people will need to rent cars upon landing.
3. EV fleets for airport operations- Airports are hotbeds of vehicle traffic, from arrivals and departures to operational support vehicles for the airlines and airport. Many of those related to airport services are making short trips and involve a lot of stop and go. Fleet electrification for airport service vehicles is the perfect opportunity to reduce emissions for the airport itself and robust EV infrastructure across the facility can improve efficiency and the transition to EV fleets.With multiple applications, the potential for lower TCO for operational fleets and enhanced revenue via fee based EV charging or even EV charging lots, means, in addition to the sustainability, airport EV charging benefits include financial successes as well.
If your airport is ready to get on the sustainability map and leverage all of your airport EV charging opportunities, then check out how we helped Sarasota’s airport achieve its goals! The NovaCHARGE team is ready to help you do the same, so get in touch today.
