E-mobility: State-of-the-art charging station at the airport

Another charging station is added to the domestic network: the unit was installed in the car park in front of Terminal 2 of Ferenc Liszt International Airport. The installation was implemented with the cooperation of ELMŰ and its partner, ABB. With the state-of-the-art fast charger, vehicles fitted in line with both the Japanese and the European standard can be “filled up” in a short time while you wait for someone in the arrivals hall. Budapest Airport does not charge a separate fee for the use of the station.

The latest development project of the airport car park is a so-called fast charger installed in the Terminal car park in front of Terminal 2. The most modern charger currently available in the market can be used for charging two vehicles at the same time with direct or alternate current; the unit is from the Hungarian production facility of ABB of Switzerland, and the infrastructure required for the installation was put in place by ELMŰ which also assumes the role of operator of the station. The charging progress is easy to follow on the 8-inch display screen of the charging column even in strong sunshine, and no expertise or registration is necessary for using the unit. All you need to do is connect up the vehicle and charging starts automatically.

It is a special feature of the fast charger that a car equipped with a 24-kW battery (e.g. the most frequent Nissan Leaf) can be charged from 30% to 80% in 15 minutes, which will be enough for the next 100-120 kilometers. This time slot is just right when you take someone to the airport or wait for someone to pick up there. Apart from the parking fee, the airport charges no additional fee for the power taken. The charger supports the currently most widespread direct-current standards of CCS and CHAdeMO, but it can also charge with standard alternate current off the grid; in the latter case it is a bit slower, but it is still faster than your wall plug at home.

István Lepsényi, under-secretary of state of the Ministry of the National Economy underlined at the handover of the electric charging station that the handover of the new charging station is an organic component in the implementation of the Jedlik Ányos Plan of the government and said “In order to support the implementation of the domestic e-mobility program we are planning to handover 150 similar charging stations around the country going forward. Our goal is to ensure with this program that the whole country could be driven through in modern electric vehicles. It should be understood that everyone will win with the spreading of such vehicles, as environmental pollution, emission of pollutants, and noise pollution will be reduced. In addition, this will make it possible to implement new innovative developments supporting growth.”

“We hope our passengers will be happy to use our new environmentally friendly service which is one of the most spectacular elements of our e-mobility program commenced in the summer. We believe it is important for us to continue to enhance the level of our services, as this may significantly contribute to preserving our position of best airport in the region,” said Gábor Szarvas, environmental protection and public affairs director of Budapest Airport.

Similarly to recent years, ELMŰ-ÉMÁSZ would like to play a pioneering role in creating the conditions of sustainable transport in Hungary, continuously enhancing its nationwide network which has 41 stations now including the facility just handed over. “The infrastructure set up by us has reached a level of development where it is about time for us to work out the details of the business model that may ensure market-based financing of further extension. The airport may be the most suitable location where charging stations could be operated on commercial terms, as the distance between Ferihegy and downtown can be comfortably covered with electric cars currently in use. The quick charger just commissioned is also a reference for cooperation with ABB. Together with them we are looking forward to participating in fair competition as a result of which we may also contribute to setting up a nationwide network of quick chargers in the framework of the Jedlik Ányos Plan in addition to extending our existing city infrastructure of chargers,” noted Dr. Friedrich Wilhelm Knebel, a member of the Board of ELMŰ-ÉMÁSZ responsible for networks.

“We were very happy to receive the request from Budapest Airport to install the quick charging station. ABB has significant international and domestic experience in installing and operating quick charger infrastructure including the manufacturing of charging columns as well as rolling out nationwide networks,” said Attila Balogh, an e-mobility expert of ABB. “The quick chargers of ABB can be found in more than 25 countries already, including e.g. the USA, Chile, Holland, Great Britain, Austria, Switzerland, Estonia, and Hungary. One of our largest assignments was granted by the government of Estonia where ABB installed 165 quick chargers ensuring full coverage of the Baltic state. At the beginning of 2014, ABB entered into a partnership with Shenzhen BYD Daimler New Technology Co. Ltd. of China, in the framework of which ABB can supply the direct current quick chargers for the new DENZA electric car in China over the next six years.”

The innovative bus charger technology of ABB was also introduced at the climate conference in Paris last week that is capable of supplying power for the world’s first high-capacity electric bus system without overhead cables. This technology was first used on electric buses carrying 135 passengers in Geneva.

“The first quick charging station in Hungary was commissioned by our company on Istenhegyi Road in 2012, and we installed additional units since then. We hope that we can contribute to the spreading of green technologies in the country and also to the successful implementation of the environmental program of Budapest Airport,” added Mr. Balogh.

The new electric charging station is a logical element in the e-mobility development program of Budapest Airport, commenced at the beginning of the year. Via this program, the airport would like to support and motivate its partners to use environmentally friendly electric vehicles. In this framework, Budapest Airport also procured a fully electric Smart, implemented new charging stations for electric towing vehicles increasingly used in airport ground handling, and made it mandatory in its last passenger transportation tender for its contracted partner to also procure electric taxis.