Challenge
Heathrow Airport wanted to determine the current and future demand for an electric vehicle charging infrastructure from those travelling through and working at the UK’s largest airport. The airport wanted to forecast the number of charge points needed, the locations where they would be required, and the most appropriate type of charge point suitable for each location.
Insight
Our transport team has almost 20 years of experience developing expert solutions to help organisations across the public and private sectors improve their fleet efficiency. We were at the vanguard of the transition to plugged-in vehicles, working with fleets to demonstrate the business case for ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs). We also play a key role in UK and international projects helping UK cities and fleets to understand where and how many charge points they need to increase uptake of ULEVs .
Action
We analysed the vehicles currently using Heathrow Airport, including staff and passenger cars, taxis and buses and vehicles used on the airfield by baggage handlers and airlines. By understanding the current use and the vehicle categories where electric vehicles would be most suitable, we were able to identify demand in the short, medium and long term.
Result
We created heat maps to identify where charge points were needed most across the airport and forecast costs and demand by 2020, 2025 and 2040. We also estimated the potential future reduction in carbon and pollutant emissions, helping Heathrow Airport with its long-term ambition to reduce its environmental impact.