A lineup of electric buses tethered to roof-mounted chargers is quite a site to see. Travelers will stumble upon exactly that when they visit Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. The facility recently ordered Heliox pantograph fast chargers for its fleet of 100 electric buses. 

Working towards a more sustainable airport 

　　Schiphol Airport has made a commitment to become the most sustainable airport in the world. Having a fleet of electric buses operating 24/7 is a step in the right direction. During the day, these electrified people-movers get juice from 23 different Heliox OC 450 kW chargers. Battery recharge time is expected to be about 2-4 minutes for a "top off". Because of the chargers roof-mounted design, this can be done at a stop, while passengers enter and exit. 

　　In addition to the day use, quick chargers, Heliox is supplying the airport with 84 Fast DC dual 30 kW chargers. These units will provide complete, overnight charging of the buses. Nighttime charging will take place at two depots in Amsterdam and Amstelveen. 

　　Another handy feature provided by the chargers is the ability to communicate with any OCCP 1.6 Backoffice system. This lets the airport easily monitor the status of the charging network.

　　The airport's electric buses are expected to travel 30,000 km per day. Having them in route will certainly help reduce emissions and noise throughout the airport. 

Heliox chargers already supplying power to e-buses

　　Since 2009, Heliox has specialized in developing cutting-edge EV charging technology. So, it comes as no surprise Schiphol Airport chose the company for its fleet of buses. 

　　Mark Smidt, Director Business Development, Heliox points out "The Amsterdam airport area is crowded with heavy traffic moving thousands of passengers every day. When we started working on this large-scale implementation we understood the impact this project would have on the Schiphol Airport area, so we are excited to see how the community will appreciate the benefits of e-mobility through using e-buses every day."

　　Both the buses and chargers are currently up and running. Keep an eye our for them, if your travels take you to the Schiphol Airport.