Schiphol Amsterdam Airport builds new charging stations for electric buses
Schiphol Amsterdam Airport, one of Europe’s busiest transport hubs, has set the goal of becoming a fully circular and energy-positive airport by 2050. Typically, the aviation industry only accounts for a portion of aircraft emissions generated at ground level. The airport operator’s own efforts focus on its buildings and its ground-based fleet, including apron buses and ground handling equipment.
Since 2018, the fleet of battery-electric apron buses, which transport crews and primarily passengers from the terminal to aircraft parked on the apron, has grown to over 200 electric buses—including vehicles from MAN. As Schiphol has committed to operating entirely emission-free across all ground operations by 2030, the fleet was expanded last year by an additional 58 vehicles.
28 new Kempower charging points at Schiphol
As part of this expansion, the airport is also upgrading its existing charging infrastructure for these vehicles and has chosen a solution from the Finnish manufacturer Kempower. The system comprises four Kempower Control Units, which supply power to twelve dual-arm Kempower charging satellites. These satellites—essentially the charging stations located near the vehicles—are equipped to provide a total of 28 DC charging points. The announcement did not specify the maximum charging capacity of the system or individual charging points.
As the charging stations use the CCS standard, all vehicles equipped with a CCS2 charging port and compatible protocol can be charged there. This applies to the aforementioned buses and other ground handling vehicles at Schiphol. A Kempower press photo also shows an electric excavator connected to one of the charging stations.
In line with Kempower’s standard approach, the direct current (DC) charging system features dynamic load management, which automatically adjusts the available power to meet vehicle demand. “This ensures high power availability and optimised grid usage, which is essential in an environment where grid constraints can be challenging,” the company stated. “Kempower’s modular design ensures maximum uptime and allows easy expansion in the future.”
“We are proud to support Schiphol Airport, an international leader in sustainable aviation, with this project,” said Han Dix, Country Manager Benelux at Kempower. “Schiphol is a great example of how airports can move decisively towards electrification and carbon-neutral operations. We look forward to continuing this partnership as Schiphol accelerates its sustainability goals.”
“Electrification of our ground support equipment is an important part of our ambition to become an energy-positive airport by 2050,” said Dennis de Cock, Technical Expert Electrification at Royal Schiphol Group. “Standardizing our charging infrastructure with future-proof solutions from suppliers like Kempower allows us to continue scaling up our electric fleet while ensuring reliable, efficient operations.”
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