A New Way To Save Fuel and Emissions |
Thanks to a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, Sea-Tac Airport has a jump start on being the first airport in the United States to fully electrify its fleet of ground support equipment.
Sea-Tac will use the money, beginning this year, to add electric charging stations on the ramp for airplane ground support equipment, and replace 200 gas and diesel vehicles with electric vehicles. The project is expected to save more than 400,000 gallons of fuel per year and reduce emissions by more than 4,500 metric tons per year.
The focus of the conversion will be gasoline baggage tractors and loading equipment, large consumers of petroleum fuel at the Airport.
The grant money to purchase new electric vehicles will be matched in a cooperative effort by the Port of Seattle and airlines. Currently the Airport has about 650 ground support vehicles.