Electric vehicles at the airport

E-Mobility at the Airport

Munich Airport currently operates more than 380 electric vehicles, the majority of them special vehicles like baggage tugs, lifters and passenger boarding bridges. Munich Airport has invested millions in e-mobility. The airport-owned car fleet also includes more than 130 electric vehicles. The aim is for nearly all vehicles in Munich Airport’s fleet to be electric-powered by 2030. At the same time, Munich Airport is expanding its charging infrastructure.

Vehicle electrician Dominik Mast and his colleagues in Munich Airport’s vehicle workshop are working to ensure a smooth transition to e-mobility. When one of the new electric vehicles arrives in Munich Airport’s auto workshop, special precautions have to be taken: The vehicle electricians must wear special protective gloves while performing their work, and a sign must be displayed warning that certain parts of the vehicle carry high voltages.

The battery in the smart that vehicle electrician Dominik Mast is working on right now, for example, can carry up to 400 V. The car is to be fitted with front flashers, a red warning light and a new hands-free telephone so that it can be driven by employees on the airport apron.

I work primarily with electric vehicles because I believe they’re the right way forward – after all, climate change affects us all. But we possess the technological knowhow to deal with the problem.

Dominik Mast

Mechatronics engineer

Diverse tasks, a good climate – specialized in e-mobility

Dominik Mast and his ten vehicle electrics employees underwent special training for working on high-voltage electric vehicles to prepare the team for future developments. After all, one thing’s for sure: In the future, most of the vehicles in operation at the airport will be electric-powered. The transition to e-mobility has long since begun.

Vehicle electrician Dominik Mast is a firm believer in the concept underlying modern electric vehicles: “The technology has reached a high level of maturity – now it’s just a question of improving their economic viability,” says the mechatronics engineer, who has been working in the airport’s vehicle workshop for nine years. “I work primarily with electric vehicles because I believe they’re the right way forward – after all, climate change affects us all. But we possess the technological knowhow to deal with the problem,” says the 32-year-old.

The global climate is extremely important to the mechatronics engineer – and the same goes for the working climate: “Team spirit is a top priority here in the vehicle workshop. Everyone’s got each other's back. And our managers are really great, too.” What’s more, the range of tasks is extremely diverse: “You learn something new almost every day.”

A carbon-neutral fleet

The objective is clear: Munich Airport has set the target of a 60 percent reduction in the airport's CO2 emissions by 2030, with the remaining 40 percent to be offset by appropriate climate protection measures. This applies to all emissions subject to the airport’s influence, for example those caused by vehicles or the airport's own CHP (combined heat and power) generating station.

In recent years, the company has invested heavily in electromobility: Over 130 vehicles powered by gasoline or diesel have been replaced by electric cars in the four years - equivalent to more than 35 percent of the existing vehicle pool. By 2030, the airport's entire vehicle fleet is to be CO2-neutral.

DEUTSCH

Jumper stand-up electric scooter
Number: 12
Range: ca. 30 km
Motor: Hub motor – 48V, 500W
Intended uses: The stand-up scooters are used by employees in technical, aviation and real estate functions to get from place to place on the airport campus.
Melex electric car
Number: three
Range: 70 km
Speed: ca. 30 km/h
Charge capacity: 260 Ah
Motor: 5 kW single-phase motor
Intended uses: Transporting persons in the terminal, e.g. for the mobility service
Smart Forfour
Number: 58
Range: 160 km
Charge capacity: 17.6 kWh
Maximum speed: 130 km/h
Power: 81 HP
Intended uses: The electric Smart cars are used mainly as pool vehicles for work-related trips on the airport campus. The engineering department has nicknamed the vehicle "the elephant's roller skate".
Electric passengers stairs
Number: 62 units with AeroGround
Two different types – covered or uncovered
Working height: 2.4 m to 3.8/5.8 m
Intended uses: The electric-powered stairs are used for embarking and disembarking passengers when aircraft are parked at a remote stand without jet bridge access to the terminal. In the covered version, the driver's cab is below the stairs. Otherwise the cab is elevated. These vehicles are equipped with lead acid batteries.
Container pallet loader
Number: eight
Lifting capacity: 7 tons
Lift height: 3.7 m
Charge capacity: 930 Ah
Intended uses: The LAWECO CML 7 - 3.7 self-driving container and pallet loader, powered by two electric motors, is used for loading and unloading aircraft.