UK. Electric car charging points at Southampton Airport have saved 205kw in their first five weeks of operation – equivalent to 143kg of carbon dioxide emissions.
There are six of the free charging bays in operation at the airport; four in short stay and two in priority parking. With no extra charges for the service, drivers simply hook up to a charging point and pay normal parking rates.
The UK airport is also encouraging local drivers to use the bays, recommending they enjoy a coffee or other refreshments in the terminal building while they wait.
Over the course of the first year of operation, the airport estimates that the charging bays will save around 1500kg of carbon dioxide emissions – the same amount of greenhouse gas from an average passenger car driven 4,375 miles.
“The number of drivers switching to EVs is increasing exponentially,” commented Southampton Airport Managing Director Dave Lees. “These drivers need access to public charging as they go about their lives, and we need to make sure we’re meeting the needs of this particular group of customers. We’re also pleased to be helping build the UK’s charging infrastructure with this installation.
“In the future we may install more charge points, but for now we’ll monitor usage of these along with feedback from our customers. And, we’ll be tracking our C02 emissions to see what savings we are making in this area.”
