In line with its $1.5 billion terminal project, Kansas City Aviation Department is investing in the first wireless, vehicle charging system installed at a US airport at Kansas City International Airport (KCI).
Momentum Dynamics is behind the inductive charging solution, which will be in place when the new terminal opens in 2023. The wireless technology will be used to extend the range of the airport’s electric buses without installing an above-ground charging station or taking buses out of service for charging.
The inductive 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. The system will be supported by two 300 kilowatt (kW) wireless chargers located at shuttle bus stops at the New Terminal. While awaiting passengers, the electric buses will park over the charging pads and will automatically receive incremental charging. Charging takes place while passengers are loading and unloading, and each session ends when the bus leaves the pad.
“We are designing and building a modern new terminal and we want to make sure that its support infrastructure does not detract from the design,” said Acting Fleet Manager Aaron Kaden. “Inductive charging was not only an efficient solution in terms of monetary outlay and ongoing costs, but was the only system we found that can deliver energy without the traditional plug-in infrastructure.”
Kansas City Airport is no stranger to environmental innovation. In the mid-1990s, the City of Kansas City, Missouri, Aviation Department was an early adopter of Compressed Natural Gas technology when it incorporated CNG vehicles into its shuttle bus fleet, complete with a fueling station. Meanwhile, in 2017, the Aviation Department was the first US airport operator to use all electric buses when it added four to its fleet and three more in 2020.
