Provide preferred parking and/or discounted parking rates for hybrid and/or alternatively-fueled vehicles.
An airport operator may provide preferential or discounted parking for alternative fueled vehicles (AFVs), such as hybrid electric vehicles or vehicles fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG), for both airport employees and airport patrons. This incentive may increase the use of AFVs at the airport and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with gasoline and diesel combustion in vehicles. The reserved parking could be located in the most desirable locations for airport users (e.g., close to elevators/stairs) to encourage transport to and from the airport via an AFV that emits fewer GHG emissions than a conventionally-fueled vehicle. An official policy supported by enforcement will aid successful implementation of this strategy. Discounts for passengers may also be used as an incentive to encourage the use of AFVs. An official list of which vehicles qualify as an AFV, combined with clear signage, will also prevent confusion regarding who can park in the designated spaces. The list of acceptable vehicles should be coordinated with local policies. The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) also provides a list of AFVs as part of their Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. This strategy presents a relatively low cost to the airport operator, other than time to plan for and implement reassignment of selected parking spaces, the addition of appropriate signage, and enforcement. If the airport operator chooses to install chargers for electric plug-in vehicles, this would increase the cost. There is no payback to the airport operator as this strategy does not result in cost savings. If a discounted parking fee is included in the incentive, it could result in somewhat decreased parking revenues for the airport operator. There are no operational and maintenance costs associated with this practice.
Practice Information
| Capital Cost: | Marginal Cost (<$5,000 US) |
| O&M Cost: | Marginal or Cost Savings (<$5,000 US) |
| Payback Period: | Immediate (0 – 2 years) |
| Staffing Requirements: | Negligible (<10 hours per month) |
| Reportability of Metrics: | Quantitative metric with baseline for comparison practices and is already tracked |
| Maturity of Practice: | Proven at multiple airports |
| Energy Reduction: | No effect on energy consumption |
| Environmental Benefits: | Low environmental benefit |
| Social Benefits: | Low social benefit |
Airport Characteristics
Categories
Case Studies
San Francisco International Airport (SFO), San Francisco, California
SFO offers electric plug-in vehicle preferred parking in all of their public garages. Plug-in vehicle parking stalls are available on a first come, first served basis. There is no cost to charge vehicles while parked in the spaces. All electric vehicle plug-in parking stalls are marked “Green Vehicle Parking.”
2007
Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Boston, Massachusetts
In the spring of 2007, Massport began offering preferred parking for customers driving hybrid and AFVs. Massport provides designated parking spaces at Logan Airport’s Central Garage, Terminal B Garage, Terminal E surface lot, and Economy Parking. Dedicated curb areas are in place for taxis at each of the Airport’s terminals. Under the Green Cab Program initiated in 2007, taxis that qualify as clean-fuel vehicles are allowed to bypass the queue and proceed to the short job lane at the Airport. Passengers may also request a clean-fuel taxi at the Airport taxi stands. Approximately 800 of the 1,825 taxis servicing the Airport are hybrids or alternative fuel vehicles.
Related Links
San Francisco International Airport, “Plug-in Electric Car Parking”
Boston Logan International Airport, “Parking Information”
Boston Logan International Airport, “2011 Environmental Status and Planning Report”
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