Electric buses roll out at New York’s airports

The Port Authority is bringing electric buses to the metro area’s three major airports. They’re estimated to save 807 tons of greenhouse gases and 120,000 gallons of diesel fuel each year versus their diesel counterparts.

Six electric buses are already in use at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Newark Liberty International Airport’s six electric buses will go into use early next year, and LaGuardia Airport will receive its six electric buses by the summer of 2019.

These 18 all-electric buses will account for half of the airports’ former 36-bus diesel fleet. At each of the three airports, the six battery-operated buses are projected to save 269 tons of greenhouse gas emissions and approximately 40,000 gallons of diesel fuel annually. They’ll also help the air quality by eliminating the emissions of nearly 2,000 pounds of nitrous oxide and 150 pounds of particulate matter every year.

The buses, built by Proterra, take less than four hours to fully recharge and will travel an average of 230 miles per charge. (That’s a lot of traffic loops.) This doesn’t spell the end of AirTrain. Instead the buses will be used to shuttle passengers and employees to areas not serviced by the elevated train. The Port Authority is currently exploring bringing an AirTrain to LaGuardia.