St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) has purchased five Lightning ZEV4 electric shuttle buses to transport passengers between its two terminals.
The contract also includes the delivery of five Level 2 chargers and one Level 3 DC fast charger.
The electric buses and their related charging infrastructure will be delivered to the airport later this year and will be operated by STL’s partner, SP Plus Parking.
The five Lightning ZEV4 electric shuttle buses are expected to travel approximately 100 miles during each shift. At least one vehicle will operate around the clock, relying on the DC fast charger during its power breaks. The remaining units will be used daily and will charge overnight using the Level 2 chargers.
Under this contract, Lightning will also train local service providers to maintain the buses, which are the airport’s first electric vehicles.
Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge, STL’s airport director and CEO said:The Lightning ZEV4 will allow us to deliver EV shuttles to those that use St. Louis Lambert International Airport sooner. St. Louis Lambert International is committed to sustainable, clean energy practices and we’re excited for passengers to begin experiencing that firsthand with our new shuttles.
This order has been made possible through the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) 2023 Voluntary Airport Low Emissions Program (VALE) which helps fund the purchase of new zero-emission vehicles and their chargers.
It adds to Lightning’s existing success with deploying electric vehicles at US airports, including a fleet of 24 Lightning shuttle buses at San Diego International Airport.
Kash Sethi, chief revenue officer for Lightning eMotors said:This order is a great validation that our vehicles and charging technology are ideally suited to help airports achieve their business and environmental goals.
Airports provide an ideal use case for electric commercial vehicle fleets, particularly when you couple accessible FAA funding with the real-world operating benefits of EVs.
