Charlotte Douglas Airport transitions to electric buses

By June 19, 2019 January 16th, 2020 News

A major hub for American Airlines with a network covering a vast range of domestic as well as international destinations, Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) has agreed to purchase five Proterra Catalys E2 electric buses to transport passengers.

In doing so the airport has joined a growing number of air transport hubs around the world that are electrifying their fleet of ground transportation vehicles.

“At CLT, we are dedicated to implementing sustainable practices that are cost effective and that create a better experience for our employees and visitors,” said CLT’s COO Jack Christine. “CLT has the goal of fully transitioning its fleet to zero-emission vehicles, which brings both economic and environmental benefits to the airport and Charlotte community,” Christine added.

With no tailpipe emissions and a reduced dependency on fossil fuels, the new vehicles will help contribute to CLT’s sustainability goals reducing emissions by 230,000 pounds of CO2 annually for each diesel vehicle that is replaced by a Proterra electric bus.

In addition to the five electric buses, CLT is also installing five Proterra plug-in chargers, which can be used by the buses as well as other battery-electric powered service vehicles at the airport.

The buses will be manufactured locally in Greenville, South Carolina with CLT the first airport to leverage the Georgia State Contract to purchase Proterra electric buses.

“Airports are an ideal use case for electric vehicle technology because of their predictable circulator routes and potential for shared charging infrastructure with other service vehicles in the fleet,” said Proterra CEO Ryan Popple. “It’s exciting to see airports from coast to coast, like CLT, make the commitment to transition 100 % of their fleets to clean, quiet zero-emission buses.”

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