Planning for Future Electric Vehicle Growth at Airports (2024)
Chapter: 9 Future Work
Chapter 9. Future Work
The Phase I Planning Guide helped identify key research gaps, which will be the focus of a Phase II project. In addition to an update of this Planning Guide, the Phase II work will address two topics:
PROJECT #1: Calculator for Charging Infrastructure Costs and Electricity Load
Airport planners need better tools to characterize the impacts (e.g., costs, charging needs, and electricity load) of EVs at airports over the next five, ten, or twenty years. The first step in assessing these impacts is to project the number of EVs that will be deployed in the future within major use cases, such as light-duty passenger, medium heavy-duty, GSE, bus, and aircraft segments. From there, with the right data, planners can estimate load impacts and incremental costs associated with charging infrastructure installation, operation, and maintenance. In this project, the Cadmus team will develop an Excel-based decision support Tool (and associated guide) that provides a simple projection of vehicle stock over time and layers in costs, charging needs, loads. Ultimately, the tool and guide will support activities such as:
- Electrical load studies;
- Development of capital and operating budgets for airport carbon reduction targets;
- Determination of federal grant needs; and
- Supporting parking facility planning to provide passenger charging.
PROJECT #2: Guide on Utility Coordination and Energy Master Planning
Electric vehicle charging installation requires utility coordination, particularly for high-powered charging sites needing extensive new electrical equipment. However, airport planners often struggle to understand what information is needed for decision-making by the utility, and accurately assess the timeline for construction and operation of charging projects. There is no current best practice for engaging with utilities to expand electrical infrastructure for EV charging at airports. Furthermore, there is no standard practice for incorporation of EV charging into airport energy master planning. This project will fill these gaps by providing a guide on how to best plan for expanding electrical infrastructure.
