New electric bus chargers unveiled at Dublin Airport

Ireland’s first cutting-edge, pantograph electric bus chargers have been unveiled at Dublin Airport in a €17 million investment in sustainable electric transport, daa announced today.

Dublin Airport’s pantograph infrastructure will deliver ultrafast charging for its new 14-vehicle, zero-emission electric shuttle bus fleet, which is operated by Aircoach and can accommodate up to 120 passengers per journey.

Pantograph charging is an automated high-power system that uses retractable charging arms to rapidly power high-frequency electric buses at the endpoint of their routes, removing the need for them to return to the depot to charge during the day.

Together, the new charging infrastructure and higher-capacity EV fleet will reduce downtime and support more reliable, efficient services for the circa 2.5 million passengers who use the service each year to travel between the airport’s car parks and terminal buildings.

A separate dedicated seven-bay depot charging facility provides additional overnight and back-up charging capacity for the fleet, supporting resilience across the airport’s shuttle bus operations.

The airport operator’s €17 million investment includes major voltage upgrades required for this system and the pantograph charging infrastructure.

Aircoach, daa’s service partner, has invested €11 million in the new electric bus fleet.

The transition to electric buses from diesel will save over 1470 tonnes of CO2e annually, contributing to Dublin Airport’s ambitious decarbonisation targets validated under the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). The new fleet is now operational at Dublin Airport.

Welcoming the development, Ireland’s Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien, said: “It is encouraging to see daa continuing to invest in sustainable travel and renewable energy solutions.”

Andrea Carroll, daa’s director of sustainability, noted: “Dublin Airport is now among the top 13% of airports globally to have received certification at ACA Level 4+ for carbon management but we are not resting on our laurels.

“Decarbonising our airport vehicles is a key part of daa’s ambitious sustainability strategy. The conversion to electric fleet will reduce the carbon impact of passenger journeys to and from the airport, complementing other initiatives across the airport campus and increasing the resilience of our fleet.”