Oakland Airport (OAK) is introducing its first battery electric shuttle buses to its parking shuttle fleet. Five electric BYD K7M buses, sourced from RIDE, are entering service and will serve passenger and employee parking lots at the airport.

These five are the first battery-electric buses to be put in service at OAK and will help position OAK to meet State electrification regulations. This step paves the way for the eventual electrification of the airport’s remaining shuttle buses, which are currently powered by renewable natural gas (RNG). Fleet electrification will continue over the next decade until OAK reaches a 100% zero-emission shuttle bus fleet.

The new buses and associated charging infrastructure are partially funded by three different grant programs, including:

• Approximately $1.5 million in Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) program funding;

• $600,000 from the California Air Resources Board Clean Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Program (HVIP); and

• Nearly $600,000 from the California Energy Commission Energy Infrastructure Incentives for Zero-Emission Project (EnergIIZE) Project

OAK is wrapping up construction on a bus charging depot to accommodate its growing electric bus fleet. Charging infrastructure for the new electric buses, including five new Heliox 180kW DC fast chargers have been commissioned at the airport for this purpose.

OAK has partnered with The Mobility House to deploy ChargePilot load management software as part of this project which will reduce peak loads, minimize charging costs, and reduce the need for costly future infrastructure upgrades.