National Express has announced it will trial a battery-electric Mercedes-Benz eCitaro bus on the shuttle service linking London Stansted Airport’s long-stay car park with the terminal.
The one-month trial will replace the existing diesel Mercedes-Benz Citaro with a one-door eCitaro. This marks National Express’ first electric bus trial on an airport car park shuttle operation.
The vehicle will operate on the landside passenger transfer service, travelling an average of around 180 miles per day. The trial will therefore provide a test of battery-electric technology under the mileage and operating demands of a high-frequency airport shuttle.
The eCitaro is a low-floor battery-electric city bus equipped with electric traction and regenerative braking. At Stansted, the vehicle will be powered using electricity from renewable sources.
During the trial, National Express and London Stansted Airport will monitor the bus’s energy consumption, charging requirements, reliability and availability. Feedback from passengers and operational staff will also form part of the assessment.
The trial is intended to provide data on the practical requirements of operating battery-electric buses in an airport environment, including how the vehicle performs over a typical daily duty cycle.
Rafael Fernandez, Managing Director of National Express, said:We’re committed to exploring more sustainable ways of delivering passenger transport for our airport partners, and this trial is an important step in understanding where battery-electric technology can work effectively on a high-demand service pattern.
Over the course of the trial we’ll be looking closely at the vehicle’s performance, energy use and charging requirements, alongside feedback from passengers and our operational teams. The findings will help us understand the practical considerations for introducing battery-electric vehicles in this particular operating environment.
The trial forms part of wider sustainability activity by both organisations. National Express parent company Mobico Group has set an ambition for a net-zero fleet across its businesses by 2040 through its Climate Transition Plan.
Following the month-long test, National Express and London Stansted Airport will assess the results and use the findings to inform potential future deployment of battery-electric buses across airport transport operations.
Nick Millar, Operations Director at London Stansted, said:We're pleased to support this trial with National Express, which will help us better understand how battery-electric bus technology performs in a busy airport environment. The long-stay shuttle service is an ideal route to test the operational requirements of electric vehicles, and the insights gained will help inform future decisions as we continue working towards our net-zero carbon ambitions.
