Economic Feasibility Analysis of Charging Infrastructure for Electric Ground Fleet in Airports
Many airports are converting their ground fleets to electric vehicles to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase airport operation sustainability. Although this paradigm shift is relevant to the environment, it is necessary to understand the economic feasibility to justify the decision. This study used life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) to compare the economic performance of electrified ground fleets in the airport with a conventional fossil fuel fleet. Three different charging systems (plug-in charging, stationary wireless charging, and dynamic wireless charging) for pushback tractors and inter-terminal buses at a major hub airport were considered in the analysis. Although the conventional fossil fuel options present the lowest initial cost for both fleets, they cost most in a 30-year analysis period. Among three electric charging infrastructures, the plug-in charging station shows the least accumulative cost for pushback tractors, and their cost differences are negligible for inter-terminal buses. Although the electric ground fleet is proved to show economic benefits, the most cost-effective charging infrastructure may vary depending on driving mileage and system design. The use of LCCA to analyze new systems and infrastructures for decision making at the project level is highly recommended.
- Record URL:
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Availability:
- Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/03611981
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Supplemental Notes:
- Laura Soares https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8061-8358 © National Academy of Sciences: Transportation Research Board 2021.
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Authors:
- Soares, Laura
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0000-0002-8061-8358
- Wang, Hao
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0000-0001-8666-6900
- Publication Date: 2021-12
Language
- English
Media Info
- Media Type: Web
- Features: References;
- Pagination: pp 1-12
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Serial:
- Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board
- Volume: 2675
- Issue Number: 12
- Publisher: Sage Publications, Incorporated
- ISSN: 0361-1981
- EISSN: 2169-4052
- Serial URL: http://journals.sagepub.com/home/trr
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Airports; Economic analysis; Electric vehicle charging; Electric vehicles; Environmental impacts; Life cycle costing; Vehicle fleets
- Subject Areas: Aviation; Economics; Environment; Vehicles and Equipment;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01781561
- Record Type: Publication
- Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
- Created Date: Sep 13 2021 4:08PM