| ACRP Synthesis 138 A SYNTHESIS OF AIRPORT PRACTICE |
Airport Cooperative Research Program Sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration |
Electric Vehicle Charging
Stations at Airport Passenger
Parking Facilities

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LanzaJet
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University of North Dakota
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Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
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Jacobsen Daniels Associates
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Federal Aviation Administration
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St. Louis Lambert International Airport
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Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
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City of Phoenix (AZ)
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Morristown Municipal Airport
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Ricondo and Associates, Inc.
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Southwest Airlines
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Eugene Airport
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American Association of Airport Executives
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
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Airlines for America
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Transportation Research Board
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Transportation Research Board
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 2024 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE*
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Marie Therese Dominguez, Commissioner, New York State Department of Transportation, Albany
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Randell Iwasaki, President and CEO, Iwasaki Consulting Services, Walnut Creek, CA
Ashby Johnson, Executive Director, Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), Austin, TX
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Hani S. Mahmassani, W.A. Patterson Distinguished Chair in Transportation; Director, Transportation Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
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___________________
* Membership as of November 2024.
* Membership as of November 2024.
AIRPORT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM
ACRP SYNTHESIS 138
A Synthesis of Airport Practice
Jacqueline Kuzio
Harshit Shukla
AND
Karim Lujan
TEXAS A&M TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE
College Station, TX
Subscriber Categories
Aviation • Environment • Terminals and Facilities
Research sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration

AIRPORT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM
Airports are vital national resources. They serve a key role in transportation of people and goods and in regional, national, and international commerce. They are where the nation’s aviation system connects with other modes of transportation and where federal responsibility for managing and regulating air traffic operations intersects with the role of state and local governments that own and operate most airports. Research is necessary to solve common operating problems, to adapt appropriate new technologies from other industries, and to introduce innovations into the airport industry. The Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) serves as one of the principal means by which the airport industry can develop innovative near-term solutions to meet demands placed on it.
The need for ACRP was identified in TRB Special Report 272: Airport Research Needs: Cooperative Solutions in 2003, based on a study sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). ACRP carries out applied research on problems that are shared by airport operating agencies and not being adequately addressed by existing federal research programs. ACRP is modeled after the successful National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) and Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP). ACRP undertakes research and other technical activities in various airport subject areas, including design, construction, legal, maintenance, operations, safety, policy, planning, human resources, and administration. ACRP provides a forum where airport operators can cooperatively address common operational problems.
ACRP was authorized in December 2003 as part of the Vision 100—Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act. The primary participants in the ACRP are (1) an independent governing board, the ACRP Oversight Committee (AOC), appointed by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation with representation from airport operating agencies, other stakeholders, and relevant industry organizations such as the Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA), the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO), Airlines for America (A4A), and the Airport Consultants Council (ACC) as vital links to the airport community; (2) TRB as program manager and secretariat for the governing board; and (3) the FAA as program sponsor. In October 2005, the FAA executed a contract with the National Academy of Sciences formally initiating the program.
ACRP benefits from the cooperation and participation of airport professionals, air carriers, shippers, state and local government officials, equipment and service suppliers, other airport users, and research organizations. Each of these participants has different interests and responsibilities, and each is an integral part of this cooperative research effort.
Research problem statements for ACRP are solicited periodically but may be submitted to TRB by anyone at any time. It is the responsibility of the AOC to formulate the research program by identifying the highest priority projects and defining funding levels and expected products.
Once selected, each ACRP project is assigned to an expert panel appointed by TRB. Panels include experienced practitioners and research specialists; heavy emphasis is placed on including airport professionals, the intended users of the research products. The panels prepare project statements (requests for proposals), select contractors, and provide technical guidance and counsel throughout the life of the project. The process for developing research problem statements and selecting research agencies has been used by TRB in managing cooperative research programs since 1962. As in other TRB activities, ACRP project panels serve voluntarily without compensation.
Primary emphasis is placed on disseminating ACRP results to the intended users of the research: airport operating agencies, service providers, and academic institutions. ACRP produces a series of research reports for use by airport operators, local agencies, the FAA, and other interested parties; industry associations may arrange for workshops, training aids, field visits, webinars, and other activities to ensure that results are implemented by airport industry practitioners.
ACRP SYNTHESIS 138
Project 11-03, Topic S02-23
ISSN 1935-9187
ISBN 978-0-309-73169-0
Library of Congress Control Number 2024952442
© 2025 by the National Academy of Sciences. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the graphical logo are trademarks of the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
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NOTICE
The report was reviewed by the technical panel and accepted for publication according to procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; or the program sponsors.
The Transportation Research Board does not develop, issue, or publish standards or specifications. The Transportation Research Board manages applied research projects which provide the scientific foundation that may be used by Transportation Research Board sponsors, industry associations, or other organizations as the basis for revised practices, procedures, or specifications.
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AIRPORT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM
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Monique R. Evans, Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Waseem Dekelbab, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Marci A. Greenberger, Manager, Airport Cooperative Research Program
Jordan Christensen, Senior Program Officer
Demisha Williams, Senior Program Assistant
Natalie Barnes, Director of Publications
Heather DiAngelis, Associate Director of Publications
Hilary Freer, Senior Editor
Joshua D. Abramson, Barge Design Solutions, Inc., Nashville, TN (Chair)
Brenda L. Enos, TRC, Boston, MA
Bryant Francis, Cleveland Airport System, Cleveland, OH
Kimberly A. Kenville, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND
Cameron Thompson, Birmingham Airport Authority, Birmingham, AL
Keila Walker-Denis, Orlando International Airport, Orlando, FL
Scott Wintner, San Jose Norman Y. Mineta International Airport, San Jose, CA
Patrick W. Magnotta, FAA Liaison
Liying Gu, Airports Council International–North America Liaison
Christine L. Gerencher, TRB Liaison
Kingsley Coppinger, City of Austin (TX) Department of Aviation, Austin, TX
Brenda L. Enos, TRC, Boston, MA
Shailesh Gongal, Massachusetts Port Authority, East Boston, MA
Casey Lamont, City of Burlington Electric Department, Burlington, VT
Heather McKee, Denver International Airport, Greenwood Village, CO
Sandy Webb, Environmental Consulting Group, LLC, Crownsville, MD
Scott Tener, FAA Liaison
Airport administrators, engineers, and researchers often face problems for which information already exists, either in documented form or as undocumented experience and practice. This information may be fragmented, scattered, and unevaluated. As a consequence, full knowledge of what has been learned about a problem may not be brought to bear on its solution. Costly research findings may go unused, valuable experience may be overlooked, and due consideration may not be given to recommended practices for solving or alleviating the problem.
There is information on nearly every subject of concern to the airport industry. Much of it derives from research or from the work of practitioners faced with problems in their day-to-day work. To provide a systematic means for assembling and evaluating such useful information and to make it available to the entire airport community, the Airport Cooperative Research Program authorized the Transportation Research Board to undertake a continuing project. This project, ACRP Project 11-03, “Synthesis of Information Related to Airport Practices,” searches out and synthesizes useful knowledge from all available sources and prepares concise, documented reports on specific topics. Reports from this endeavor constitute an ACRP report series, Synthesis of Airport Practice.
This synthesis series reports on current knowledge and practice, in a compact format, without the detailed directions usually found in handbooks or design manuals. Each report in the series provides a compendium of the best knowledge available on those measures found to be the most successful in resolving specific problems.
By Jordan Christensen
Staff Officer
Transportation Research Board
Electric vehicles (EV) sales have increased significantly since the 2014 publication of ACRP Synthesis 54: Electric Vehicle Charging Stations at Airport Parking Facilities. Today, to meet passenger EV charging needs, more than 90 hub airports have installed EV charging in their passenger parking facilities. Given that passengers’ needs for EV charging are expected to continue to rise, airports will benefit from understanding the challenges and opportunities related to providing EV charging in passenger parking facilities.
The objective of this synthesis is to describe how hub airports plan for, manage, and implement EV charging stations at public parking facilities. This synthesis includes research on (1) how airports determine the quantity, level, and location of charging stations, (2) how airports fund installation of charging stations, (3) ongoing operational and maintenance costs, and (4) safety concerns. The audience for this synthesis is airport planners, engineers, and managers.
This synthesis reflects information obtained through a literature review, a survey of airports, and interviews resulting in six case examples. Appendix C provides case examples from three small-hub, one medium-hub, and two large-hub airports that highlight the airports’ experiences with EV charging infrastructure.
The Principal Investigator, Jacqueline Kuzio, and Harshit Shukla and Karim Lujan, all of Texas A&M Transportation Institute, College Station, TX, synthesized the information and wrote the report. The members of the topic panel are acknowledged on page iv. This synthesis is an immediately useful document that records the practices that were acceptable within the limitations of the knowledge available at the time of its preparation. As progress in research and practice continues, new knowledge will be added to that now at hand.
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Chapter 2 State of the Practice
Existing Electric Vehicle Infrastructure at Airports
Parking Use Cases for Different EV Chargers
Challenges Associated with Charging at Airport Parking Facilities
Opportunities to Support Charging at Airport Parking Facilities
Chapter 3 Overview of Survey Results
Charging Stations and Associated Infrastructure
Overview of Results by Hub Size
Chapter 4 Key Insights from Airport Interviews
Determining Appropriate Charging Equipment
Utility Coordination and Load Management
Navigating Safety Requirements
Appendix A Survey Questionnaire and Interview Framework
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