Birmingham Airport has replaced its bus fleet with fully electric buses.
The new fleet is made up of six 7900e single deck electric buses supplied by Volvo Bus UK, providing an 80% lower energy consumption than the equivalent sized diesel bus.
The buses operate as a free passenger service via all landside car park routes.
The airport said it has invested £1.8m in the fleet, with a further £1.4m provided by the Department for Transport under its Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme.
Airport CEO Nick Barton said: I’m extremely proud to say we are the first UK airport to implement six fully electric landside buses which will operate via a fast charging pantograph system.
‘The buses are not only a big win for us in terms of the reduction in emissions, but they will also contribute to providing an improved passenger experience.’
The new fleet is made up of six 7900e single deck electric buses supplied by Volvo Bus UK, providing an 80% lower energy consumption than the equivalent sized diesel bus.
From left: Mr Barton, Mr Street, and Nick Page, managing director of Volvo Bus UK and Ireland
West Midlands mayor Andy Street said: ‘A huge congratulations to Birmingham Airport on the launch of their electric buses. We know around a third of carbon emissions across the West Midlands come from transport, but the good news is that we are making progress to tackle this, with Birmingham Airport's electric bus fleet a prime example.’
To ensure the bus operation is available around the clock, each bus will be recharged while in service using the ’OppCharge’ opportunity charging pantograph system.
Two charging points have been installed outside of the terminal, taking up to six minutes to complete charging, giving flexibility whilst also enabling continuous operation. Additional plug-in charging points are located in the coach park.
The airport said plans have also been put in place to make the charging points available for future use by operators of public electric buses and coaches.
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