Company:
John Wayne Airport
Status:
Awarded
Awarded:
Airports & Ports Project of the Year
Additional Files
John Wayne Airport ZEV Bus Shuttle and Charger Project Figures 1 and 3
John Wayne Airport ZEV Bus Shuttle and Charger Project Figures 2A and 2B
Additional Information

None.

John Wayne Airport (JWA) Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Shuttle Buses and Charger Infrastructure Project

Project Location:

JWA Passenger Terminals to General Public (“Main Street”) Parking Lot and Employee Parking Lot (“T-Lot”), Costa Mesa, Orange County, CA

Project Description:

The JWA ZEV shuttle buses and charger infrastructure project represents the implementation of the first phase of JWA’s multi-year plan to replace its fleet of 12 compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered shuttle buses with electric, zero-emission counterparts. In this first phase, JWA conducted the planning and budgeting, developed the specifications, carried out the bid process, conducted negotiations, obtained funding, and contracted to purchase the first of three battery-powered, zero-emission shuttle buses and three electric bus chargers. The selected bus supplier was Proterra (see Figure 1 for an image of the Proterra bus model). In addition, this project includes the electrical infrastructure and site improvements necessary to operate the chargers and buses, such as:

• Resurfacing existing asphalt concrete pavement
• Modifying parking lot gates
• Constructing new concrete curbs, foundations, and Portland cement concrete pavement
• Providing new striping and directional signage for the final parking configuration layout
• Adding bollards
• Incorporating structural best management practices within the final design layout
• Installing chargers
• Installing electrical distribution board
• Trenching, concrete encasing, backfilling and compaction of electrical conduits
• Relocating existing pole lights and installing additional lighting
• Testing and commissioning the electrical vehicle charging system
• Coordinating with Southern California Edison

(See Figures 2A and 2B for parking lot site improvements to accommodate new ZEV buses and new chargers, respectively.)

JWA is in the South Coast Air Basin, an area designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) as nonattainment for ozone, precursors of which are oxides of nitrogen (NOX) and volatile organic compounds (VOC); nonattainment for particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5); and maintenance for carbon monoxide (CO), particulate matter with a diameter of less than 10 microns (PM10), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2).

This project is an important part of the overall strategy JWA is undertaking to reduce air pollutant emissions and increase the use of zero-emission technologies. These buses are used to transport passengers and airport employees between the airport terminal buildings and the Main Street Lot (general public parking lot) and the T-Lot (employee parking lot) as shown in Figure 3. Currently, JWA relies on six 26-foot and six 30-foot CNG-powered shuttle buses that are owned and operated by a third-party vendor. Ultimately, JWA plans to own and operate up to 12 new electric-powered shuttle buses instead of contracting with the vendor for the fleet serving the remote lots. Switching to electric-powered ZEV buses offers the following benefits:

• Reduced emissions
• Lower operation and maintenance costs
• Increased community awareness
• Technology advancement

These first three ZEV buses would primarily operate to shuttle employees from off-site parking to the terminal, a round-trip of about 5 miles. The electric chargers are planned to be along north side of the northwest corner of the Main Street Lot. (See Figure 2B.)

The implementation of these first three ZEV shuttle buses is estimated to result in a total emission reduction of 2.1 tons of ozone (NOX and VOC) compared to diesel-powered counterparts, assuming an average annual mileage of 100,500 miles over the expected operating life of the buses.

The cost of the three ZEV shuttle buses and electric infrastructure was estimated at $2,821,698. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) awarded JWA $2,274,006 through ZEV Program Funding.

Project Justification:

JWA’s three electric shuttle buses are the first ZEV buses owned and operated by the County of Orange government. In pioneering this effort, JWA’s success provides a model for potentially converting the entire County government bus fleet from being fossil fuel-based to electric-based while improving air quality. Additionally, this project provides an innovative approach for achieving one of the key goals of the JWA 2018 Climate Action Plan:
      “Invest in sustainable infrastructure, equipment, and operations that support clean, dependable, efficient, and cost-effective energy resources.”

Special Circumstances:

JWA coordinated with multiple entities as part of this ZEV bus and charger infrastructure project, including:

• Federal Aviation Administration
• South Coast Air Quality Management District
• Southern California Edison
• Orange County Public Works
• Orange County Fleet Services
• Polytechnique Environmental, Inc.
• Wood PLC
• VCA Engineers, Inc.

This project presented the following technical and business operations challenges for JWA:

JWA had a few options for the charging infrastructure. It considered overhead induction and plug-in chargers. The plug-in type was selected because it was more compatible with JWA’s needs and bus charging times were more predictable, thereby reducing the risk of bus route delays.

JWA worked with bus manufacturers to satisfy JWA’s constraints and capacity objectives while balancing available options. JWA worked with the selected manufacturer to find the best location for batteries, select equipment for disabled passengers, and meet JWA’s exterior branding needs.

The higher capacity buses are too long to make the turn into and out of the remote parking lots. JWA is working on modifications to the remote parking lot entry and exit points so the longer buses can be used for employees and passengers.

The FAA requires that the procurement include a Buy American provision. JWA required that the buses and chargers be made in the United States to comply with this provision.

The FAA also required that the chargers be Underwriter Laboratory (UL) certified. Several available chargers could not meet this requirement because electric buses and chargers are still in relative infancy. JWA was able to work with the selected manufacturer to meet this requirement by working with the local utility to identify and evaluate options.

Project Attachments:

None.

Award Citation::

The John Wayne Airport zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) shuttle buses and charger infrastructure project represents a pioneering effort in the evolution to the next generation of cleaner, efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective ground transportation at the airport and for the Orange County government vehicle fleet.

Suggested Award Summary:

The John Wayne Airport (JWA) zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) shuttle buses and charger infrastructure project represents a pioneering effort in the evolution to the next generation of cleaner, efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective ground transportation at the airport and for the Orange County government vehicle fleet. This project builds upon the previous transition at JWA from diesel-powered vehicles to compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered vehicles and paves the way for future conversion from fossil fuels to greener and more sustainable sources of power.

This project is the first phase of JWA’s multi-year plan to replace its fleet of 12 CNG-powered shuttle buses with electric, ZEV counterparts. When fully implemented, it will reduce emissions by 8.4 tons of ozone (NOX and VOC) compared to traditional diesel-powered bus shuttles.

Other benefits include reducing operation and maintenance costs, promoting increased community awareness of electric ZEV vehicles, and encouraging the future use of similar technologies for the Orange County government vehicle fleet.

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