First airport to get wireless e-bus charging

Kansas City International Airport (KCI) has become the first airport in the United States to invest in a wireless vehicle charging system for its electric buses. By doing so, the aviation department is looking at extending the range of its electric buses without installing an above-ground charging station or taking buses out of service for charging. The charging solution will be provided by Momentum Dynamics. Supported by two 300 kW wireless chargers located at shuttle bus stops at the new terminal, the charging system will provide incremental charging to the existing ‘KCI Economy Parking’ electric shuttle buses, thus keeping the buses in service longer along the seven-mile loop. While awaiting passengers, the e-buses will park over the charging pads and will automatically receive an incremental charge. Charging takes place while passengers are loading and unloading, and each session ends when the bus leaves the pad. As part of the airport’s USD 1.5 bn project, this charging system will be in place after the new terminal opens to traffic in 2023.