Dublin Airport has commissioned Ireland’s first pantograph charging system for electric buses as part of a 17 million EUR investment to electrify its shuttle bus operations.
The new infrastructure supports a fleet of 14 battery-electric shuttle buses operated by Aircoach, which transport passengers between the airport’s terminals and car parks. Each bus can carry up to 120 passengers, with the service used by around 2.5 million people annually.
Pantograph charging uses automated overhead charging arms to rapidly recharge electric buses at the end of their routes, reducing the need for vehicles to return to a depot during the day. Dublin Airport has also installed a seven-bay depot charging facility to provide overnight and backup charging for the fleet.
The investment includes upgrades to the site’s electrical infrastructure as well as the charging equipment. The project received 4.7 million EUR in funding from the European Commission through the Connecting Europe Facility – Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility (CEF AFIF).
Aircoach invested a further 11 million EUR in the electric buses, which have now entered service.
Vincent Harrison, daa Chief Commercial and Development Officer, said:Dublin Airport is delighted to be the first location in Ireland to harness the benefits of fast, pantograph charging for our electric shuttle buses. This type of charging is well suited to high-frequency fixed routes, enabling smaller batteries and fast ‘opportunity’ charging instead of lengthy depot charging. This means cleaner, quieter and more reliable journeys for passengers. Our investment in this infrastructure also helps to future-proof Dublin Airport and advance our sustainability ambitions.
daa estimates that replacing the previous diesel shuttle fleet with electric vehicles will reduce carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) emissions by more than 1,470 tonnes each year. The project forms part of the wider Dublin Airport Campus Electrification (DACE) programme, which includes additional electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the airport.
Alongside the shuttle bus project, Dublin Airport continues to introduce other measures aimed at reducing operational emissions, including the rollout of LED lighting, fixed electrical ground power for aircraft and the replacement of airport vehicles with electric, hybrid and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO)-powered alternatives.
