Actemium installs Birmingham Airport Bus Fleet Chargers

Actemium has successfully joined forces with Volvo Bus UK and ABB for the deployment of electric bus charging facilities at the Birmingham Airport.

According to the UK government published figures, road transport sources are the main contributor of emissions around airports*. Therefore, airport surface access strategies are essential in tackling air quality around airports, as well as all other measures to reduce emissions from road vehicles travelling to and from airports. To support emission-free ground travel for Birmingham Airport passengers, retail staff and airline crew, Actemium, Volvo Bus and ABB have collaborated to launch a fully electric, single deck bus service. (*Source: https://consult.defra.gov.uk)

The service will see six Volvo 7900e fully electric, low emission single deck buses servicing Birmingham Airport, helping to sustainably transfer the 13 million people who visit the airport each year.

Actemium was contracted to install and commission two ABB 300kW Pantographs and two ABB 150kW DC Fast Charging units. The Pantographs were installed directly in front of the airport main arrival terminal and used by thousands of passengers each day, this was a challenging environment for the Actemium project team.

The DC Fast Chargers were installed in the airport coach park and may become available to other operators who adopt electric buses in the future.

Due to a demanding 24 Hour x 7 Day operation, the Volvo 7900e electric buses will recharge en-route via two ABB 300kW opportunity charging pantographs. Charging will take two to six minutes, providing maximum flexibility and enabling continuous operation of the electric bus fleet.

“E-Mobility solutions are a key part of ABB’s Mission to Zero, which sees us pursuing sustainable technologies to support industries and cities reduce their impact on the environment,” said Frank Muehlon, Head of ABB’s global business for E-Mobility Infrastructure Solutions.

“We were therefore delighted to have the opportunity to support Birmingham Airport and Volvo on this landmark transport solution for the Midlands and hope this will set a precedent for other airports across the region to follow,”he added.

Nick Barton, CEO of Birmingham Airport commented: “This is a really exciting time for the Airport. Over the next 15 years we are investing significantly to improve our facilities and service for customers, whilst reducing our carbon footprint to reach an ambitious target of net zero carbon by 2033’’.

Malcolm Hughes, Head of Development at Actemium E-Mobility, added: ‘‘This has been a great project to be involved in and to be part of the exciting evolution of EV transportation. The project execution was seamless as all stakeholders involved worked as one team to ensure the project was completed on time, safely and with minimum impact at an operational airport.”