i 

Final Report 

INHERENTLY LOW EMISSION AIRPORT VEHICLE 

PILOT PROGRAM 

FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION 

OFFICE OF AIRPORTS 

COMMUNITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL NEEDS DIVISION 

January 2006 
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK

ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS 

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION ................................................... 1

I. PROGRAM RESULTS .................................................. 6 

 Participating Airlines and Other Organizations ......................... 7 

Emission Reductions .................................................................. 8 

 Vehicle Deployments ................................................................. 9 

II. INDIVIDUAL PROJECT RESULTS .............................. 10

 Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW) .................................... 11 

 Sacramento International (SMF) ................................................ 13 

 Denver International (DIA) ....................................................... 15 

 San Francisco International (SFO) ............................................ 16 

 Baton Rouge Metropolitan (BTR) ............................................. 18 

 Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) .............................. 19

 

 

iii
TABLES 

Table 1: ILEAV Grants and Total Expenditures by Airport ................... 6 

Table 2: Participants in ILEAV Projects ..................................... 7 

Table 3: Projected Lifetime Emission Reductions by Pollutant (tons) ... 8 

Table 4: Deployed Project Vehicles by Fuel Type ......................... 9 

 

GLOSSARY OF TERMS 

AFV – alternative fuel vehicle 

AIP – FAA Airport Improvement Program 

CNG – compressed natural gas 

CO – carbon monoxide 

DOE – U.S. Department of Energy 

EPA – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

EV – electric vehicle 

FAA – Federal Aviation Administration 

GAV – ground access vehicle 

GSE – ground support equipment 

HC – hydrocarbons 

ILEAV – Inherently Low Emission Airport Vehicle pilot program 

LPG – liquid petroleum gas 

NOx – oxides of nitrogen 

NPIAS – National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems 

PFC – FAA Passenger Facility Charge program 

PM – particulates 

SO2 – sulfur dioxide 

VALE – Voluntary Airport Low Emission program 

iv
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION 

This is the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) final report for the Inherently Low Emissions 

Airport Vehicle Pilot Program (ILEAV). The report describes the current level of ILEAV 

project activity based on information provided by participating airport sponsors in their Progress 

Reports of September 30, 2005. 

This report is voluntary and is provided primarily for the benefit of program participants. It will 

be distributed to ILEAV airport sponsors, FAA regional project managers, advisors from other 

Federal agencies, and interested members of industry and environmental organizations. It will 

also be made available to the public on the FAA Airports web site. 

The ILEAV Pilot Program was authorized in April 2000 as part of the Wendell H. Ford Aviation 

Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (AIR-21).1

 The main congressional sponsors of 

the ILEAV program were Representative Sherwood Boehlert (NY) and Senator Jay Rockefeller 

(WV). AIR-21 authorized ten ILEAV project grants for up to $2 million per grant under the 

FAA Airport Improvement Program (AIP). 

The FAA devoted the initial 18 months of the program to technical development, review of 

applications, and grant preparation. In the process of developing program guidance and 

methodology, the FAA consulted technical experts from other Federal agencies and met with 

representatives of the natural gas, electric, and propane industries. The Federal Transit 

Administration and the Advanced Vehicle Program under the Research and Special Program 

Administration of the Department of Transportation provided financial and technical assistance. 

The Department of Energy Clean Cities Program shared materials on alternative fuels, the energy 

industry, and program organization. The Environmental Protection Agency provided guidance 

on mobile source emissions and modeling enhancements in support of ILEAV methodology. In 

addition, representatives from each of the agencies participated on the ILEAV Project Evaluation 

Team for technical review of airport project applications. 

Based on the technical rankings of 21 airport applications, the FAA selected ten projects in the 

spring of 2001 for FY’01 AIP grants totaling approximately $17.5 million.2

 Between the fall of 

2001 and 2005, the FAA monitored airport ILEAV activities twice a year to obtain information 

about the projects and the use of low-emission technology in the airport environment. While 

airport sponsors continue to manage their ILEAV projects, the ILEAV grants have been closed 

out financially. Special agency reporting and monitoring of the program are complete with the 

publication of this report. 

 

1

 Codified at 49 U.S.C., Subtitle VII, Part B, §47136. 2

 As required, the FAA completed a Report to Congress on the ILEAV Pilot Program within 18-months of the 

approved legislation. In November 2001, shortly after the ILEAV grants were issued in September 2001, the Report 

to Congress was submitted to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

and the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. 

1
The ILEAV program fulfilled its main purpose as a pilot program in providing valuable 

information. It gave participating airports an opportunity to evaluate numerous types of mobile 

and stationary low-emission technology and to assess its actual performance in the airport 

environment. Several ILEAV projects contributed to better understanding of alternative fuels 

and their financial and emission trade-offs. Most alternative fuel use involved the conversion of 

gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles to new vehicles running on electricity and compressed 

natural gas (CNG). There were some propane-powered retrofits also. Information was obtained 

in other important areas, including the commercial availability of alternative fuel vehicles 

(AFVs), refueling and recharging systems, financial partnerships, and cost-benefit methodology. 

The ILEAV program began only weeks after the events of September 11, 2001. The resulting 

economic downturn in the airline industry had direct consequences on ILEAV commitments. In 

many cases, airlines and other tenant organizations scaled back their planned acquisitions of 

equipment, especially aircraft ground support equipment (GSE) using alternative fuels. The 

projects most affected were in Atlanta (ATL), Chicago (ORD), and New York (JFK and LGA). 

The sponsors of these airports made repeated good-faith efforts to restructure their projects and 

to attract new participants, but in the end had to ask the FAA to terminate their ILEAV grants 

and to redistribute the funding to other eligible AIP projects. 

For the other six ILEAV projects, sponsors showed positive results in many areas. These 

projects are Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW), Sacramento (SMF), Denver (DIA), San Francisco (SFO), 

Baton Rouge (BTR), and Baltimore-Washington (BWI). Most of these projects were structured 

with a larger percentage of airport-owned equipment and were therefore buffered to a greater 

extent from the loss of airline and third-party commitments. Several of the sponsors were 

successful in restructuring their projects by enlisting new organizations. In fact, ten airlines are 

currently involved in ILEAV projects, twice the number of airlines that were involved initially 

(see Table 2). 

The ILEAV program produced a total investment of over $14 million in airport low-emission 

technology, including Federal grant and local matching contributions. These investments in new 

technology are helping participating airports to achieve local emission reductions today and to 

achieve them for several years to come over the useful life of the equipment. 

 

The lessons learned from the ILEAV program have been valuable to the FAA and its 

development of new air quality initiatives. The FAA relied on the ILEAV experience to design 

the national Voluntary Airport Low Emission Program (VALE), which was authorized in the 

Vision 100 – Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-176). Many of the 

innovations in the VALE program have a direct connection to the ILEAV program and to the 

lessons learned from its implementation. These lessons included the need for: 

• Individual vehicle low-emission standards 

• Enforceable third-party contracts 

• Greater federal share and eligibility for Passenger Facility Charges (PFC) 

• Airport emission reduction credits 

2
• Simplified cost effectiveness methodology 

• Greater eligibility for alternative non-petroleum based fuels 

In addition to FAA project managers, several airport project managers provided feedback to the 

FAA on the effectiveness of the program. Mr. Greg Rowe, who managed a multi-faceted project 

at Sacramento, offered the most extensive comments in his paper, “Retrospective on the SMF 

ILEAV Program: Lessons Learned, Obstacles, Program Limitations.”3

 Below is a sample of 

Mr. Rowe’s observations and his advice to other airports considering low-emission projects: 

• Consult airport accountants, auditors, and legal counsel early in the formulation of a 

project. Also, consult early with those responsible for equipment and installations: 

planners, electricians, property departments, contractors, etc. Determine how many 

personnel will be involved. 

• Rely as much as possible on direct airport ownership and control of equipment and 

vehicles. Partnerships with airlines and other companies require more work and 

coordination and are more difficult because of the greater financial uncertainties. 

• Use knowledgeable consultants or short-term adjunct staff to implement the program 

and to coordinate fiscal and tracking requirements. 

• Make sure that FAA personnel are familiar with eligibility requirements for lowemission projects and that FAA funding and program requirements are managed 

consistently. 

• Be aware of special problems for siting rechargers for electric GSE: 

“Airlines typically lease space from airports, much of it within a terminal building. 

This space includes offices, baggage rooms, and storage. The airlines pay rent to the 

airport based upon the square footage occupied. The airlines naturally try to occupy 

the least amount of space possible, in order to minimize operating costs. While 

gasoline or diesel powered GSE can be parked virtually anywhere on the ramp while 

not in use, eGSE must be parked at a battery charger during the charging process. The 

location of a charger is fixed, because it must be connected to a dedicated electrical 

supply. The airlines often prefer to place charging units in an area sheltered from the 

elements (rain and snow). In most cases, this means that chargers must be located 

beneath a terminal or building overhang. 

The placement of charging units in the leasehold space of America West Airlines and 

United Airlines involved lengthy discussions because neither airline wished to expand 

its leasehold--with a corollary lease expense--to accommodate the charging units and 

eGSE parking. This is an important issue that must be taken into account by airline 

sponsors when contemplating potential airline emission reduction arrangements.” 

 

3

 The SMF Progress Report, Appendix A, September 30, 2005, may be obtained from Mr. Greg Rowe, Senior Environmental Analyst. See the 

SMF section of this report for contact information.

3
Another project manager, Mr. Roger Hooson in San Francisco, commented on the cost and 

reliability of low-emission systems, reporting the following findings for electric and CNG 

vehicles: 

“For their new electric bag tractors, United reports apparent lifecycle cost savings of 

40% over the diesel units replaced. Other carriers report similar savings. In recent 

months, the greatly increased cost of diesel seems likely to give electric power an 

even greater cost advantage. 

SkyWest reports that their electric units are at least as reliable as diesel. The lack of 

oil and filter costs on electrics is an advantage, though [operators must monitor the 

state of charge on the electrics] and battery replacement [will be] a cost item that 

occurs more frequently than engine replacement on diesels. United says that with 

proper care and equalization, batteries should last as long as diesel engines. While not 

specifically documented, operator health should also benefit from the use of electrics. 

 

The manager of the Airport’s shuttle bus fleet is very happy with the CNG shuttle 

buses, especially now that CNG is so much cheaper than diesel. The CNGs are 

quieter than diesel and highly reliable.” 

More project findings and information can be found in individual airport Progress Reports, 

which are available from the airport sponsor, and in the next section of this report, which 

summarizes the results of the program and each active project. It is divided into two parts: 

1) An overview of program results 

2) Individual project descriptions with airport contact information. 

General information about the ILEAV program can be obtained from the Community and 

Environmental Needs Division (APP-600), Office of Airports, FAA, 800 Independence Ave. 

SW, Washington DC 20591. The program contact is Dr. Jake Plante (202) 493-4875. Regional 

FAA project contacts are: 

Dean McMath Southwest Region (ASW) (817) 222-5617 

Tom Felix Eastern Region (AEA) (718) 553-3335 

Warren Ferrell Northwest Mountain Region (ANM) (425) 227-2612 

T.J. Chen San Francisco Airport District Office (650) 876-2724 

William Gin San Francisco Airport District Office (650) 876-2822 

Next Steps

ILEAV project grants were provided on a one-time basis to the ten participating airports. 

ILEAV airports and other commercial service airports that are interested in pursuing low4
emission projects are encouraged to apply for FAA assistance through the VALE program, as 

authorized by the Vision 100 – Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-176). 

Low-emission activities similar to the ILEAV program are allowed in the VALE program for 

airports that are located in air quality nonattainment or maintenance areas. Funding for VALE 

projects has been expanded to encompass the PFC program in addition to the AIP program. 

Also, eligible low-emission activities have been expanded under the VALE program for vehicles, 

infrastructure, and alternative fuels. Further information and application procedures for the 

VALE program are provided on the FAA Airports web site. 

5
I. PROGRAM RESULTS 

Guidelines for the ILEAV program were based on existing AIP procedures and AIR-21 ILEAV 

provisions such as the 50-50 cost share between the FAA and airport sponsors. To maximize the 

use of Federal funding, the FAA encouraged sponsors to build local partnerships and to leverage 

additional funding support from State and local governments, airlines, operators, and equipment 

manufacturers. 

Airport sponsors that successfully implemented ILEAV projects are DFW, SMF, DIA, SFO, 

BTR, and BWI. These airports used their ILEAV grants to acquire a total of 507 low-emission 

vehicles as well as supporting infrastructure to refuel or recharge these vehicles. 

Table 1 below lists the participating ILEAV airports, the AIP grant awards, final grant 

expenditures by amount and percentage, and the total project amount, which reflects the grant 

amount, the required 50 percent local match, and any other local contributions. 

Table 1 

ILEAV Grants and Total Expenditures by Airport 

Code Airport Name FAA ILEAV 

Grant 

Final 

Grant 

Expenditure 

Percent 

of Grant 

Expenditure 

Total Project 

Amount 

(with 50% 

match, etc.) 

ATL Atlanta Hartsfield International $1,899,200 $0 0% $0

BTR Baton Rouge Metropolitan $421,832 $421,832 100% $898,664

BWI Baltimore-Washington Int’l $2,000,000 $562,500 28% $1,125,000

DIA Denver International $1,163,870 $1,163,870 100% $2,494,386

DFW Dallas/Fort Worth Int’l $1,999,992 $1,968,337 98% $4,285,029

JFK John F. Kennedy International $2,000,000 $0 0% $0

LGA LaGuardia $2,000,000 $0 0% $0

ORD Chicago O’Hare International $2,000,000 $0 0% $0

SFO San Francisco International $2,000,000 $1,048,209 52% $2,096,418

SMF Sacramento International $2,000,000 $1,704,774 85% $3,420,794

Totals: $17,484,894 $6,869,522 39% $14,320,291

6
Participating Airlines and Other Organizations 

Five major airlines were involved in the program initially. These airlines and their project 

participation in parentheses were Delta Air Lines (ATL, ORD, DFW, JFK, LGA, SFO, SMF), 

American Airlines (ORD, DFW, JFK, LGA), United Airlines (ORD, DIA, SFO, SMF), 

Southwest Airlines (SMF), and America West Airlines (SMF). Following September 11, 2001, 

the airlines with multiple projects (Delta, American, United) scaled back their original program 

commitments. American and Delta continued to participate at DFW while United Airlines 

continued to participate at SFO and SMF. 

Several participating airports were successful in recruiting new airline participants and other 

organizations that wanted to take advantage of the program incentives. Table 2 below lists the 

ten airlines and the other organizations that are currently involved. 

Table 2 

Participants in ILEAV Projects 

Airport Participating Airlines Other Major Participants 

ATL 

BTR 

Entergy (Utility) 

Fuelman, Inc. 

 Texaco, Inc. 

Ford Motor Co. 

BWI BWI Car Rental Consortium 

DIA 

SkyWest 

Frontier 

Mesa Air 

DHL Worldwide Express

Integrated Airline Services 

Servisair/GlobeGround 

Natural Fuels Corp. 

DFW American 

Delta 

JFK 

LGA 

ORD 

SFO 

SkyWest 

United 

Continental 

DHL Worldwide Express 

Swissport Corp. 

SMF 

Southwest 

United 

America West 

7
Emission Reductions 

The ILEAV program was designed to reduce airport emissions of criteria pollutants that exceed 

National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Table 3 below provides reported airport estimates of 

project lifetime emission reductions by pollutant in the context of area nonattainment or 

maintenance designations (highlighted in yellow).4

The pollutant of greatest concern nationally is ground level ozone. All ten ILEAV airports are 

located in ozone nonattainment or maintenance areas. Seven of the airports are also located in 

nonattainment or maintenance areas for particulate matter: SMF and DIA for PM10 and ATL, 

BWI, JFK, LGA, and ORD for PM2.5. In addition, three airports, DIA, JFK, and LGA, are in 

maintenance areas for carbon monoxide (CO). SO2 is usually associated with stationary sources 

and is therefore not a common problem for airports. 

Some of the reported emission reductions in Table 3 are sizable. On a lifetime basis, for 

example, ILEAV projects are expected to reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) and hydrocarbons (HC), 

the two precursors for ozone, by 2,984 tons and 3,725 tons, respectively. Several ILEAV 

airports may be able to use their reductions effectively to meet future general conformity de 

minimis needs of 1 to 100 tons per year for a proposed project.5

 

Table 3 

Projected Lifetime Emission Reductions by Pollutant (tons) 

(shading denotes nonattainment or maintenance status)

Airport Ozone Nitrogen 

Oxides (NOx)

Ozone 

Hydrocarbons (HC)

Carbon 

Monoxide (CO)

Particulates 

(PM10, PM2. 5)

Sulfur Dioxide 

(SO2)

ATL 

BTR 18 3 39 0.23 3 

BWI 248 -35 -113 3 14 

DIA 451 15 1,356 0.3 30 

DFW 1,428 3,135 66,275 21 90 

JFK 

LGA 

ORD 

SFO 529 91 1,191 66 14 

SMF 310 516 10,893 7 1 

Totals: 2,984 3,725 79,641 98 152

 

4

 Emission reduction estimates have been adjusted in some cases to reflect changes in the reported number and type of low-emission vehicle 

deployments during the final reporting period. 

5 The Vision 100 FAA reauthorization allows ILEAV airports to receive airport emission reduction credits (AERCs) retroactively from State air 

quality agencies through the VALE program. A sponsor’s VALE application would require an updated estimate of ILEAV annual emission 

reductions using the most current information and methods. AERCs are airport-specific and cannot be transferred or traded. 

8
Vehicle Deployments 

Emission savings are generated from the conversion of conventional gasoline and dieselpowered vehicles to cleaner alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs). Participating airports purchased

507 AFVs, of which approximately 70 percent are GSE and the remaining 30 percent are GAV.

Table 4 describes the number and types of low-emission vehicles acquired by the participating 

airports. GSE acquisitions are roughly 78 percent baggage tugs and 20 percent belt loaders. A 

small number of pushback tractors, cargo tractors, forklifts, and lavatory trucks make up the 

difference. Over 60 percent of the GAV are heavy-duty buses and shuttles, while the remainder 

is light-duty cars, vans, and pickup trucks.

Vehicle fuel types were roughly 51 percent electric, 33 percent CNG, and 16 percent LPG 

(propane). Electricity was the leading fuel choice for most of the light-duty GSE. CNG was the 

fuel of choice for most of the GAV, including all of the heavy-duty buses and shuttles. 

 

Table 4 

Deployed Project Vehicles by Fuel Type 

Airport Total 

Vehicles 

Total 

GSE Operational GSE Total GAV Operational GAV

ATL

BTR 7* 7 4 pickup trucks (CNG) 

3 cars (CNG)

BWI 25 25 25 (40’) buses (CNG)

DIA 124 53 

40 bag tugs (CNG) 

9 belt loaders (electric) 

4 cargo tractors (electric)

71 

32 (40’) buses (CNG) 

13 (22’) shuttle buses (CNG) 

24 pickup trucks (CNG) 

2 cars (CNG)

DFW 156 156 146 bag tugs (electric) 

10 belt loaders (electric) 

JFK

LGA

ORD

SFO 141 111 

81 bag tugs (40 electric, 41 LPG) 

27 belt loaders (12 elec, 15 LPG) 

2 pushback tractors (electric) 

1 lavatory truck retrofit (LPG) 

30 

4 (40’) buses (CNG) 

23 van retrofits (LPG) 

3 pickup trucks (LPG) 

SMF 54 34 

2 small passenger vehicles (elec.) 

 24 belt loaders (electric) 

8 bag tugs (electric) 

20 20 (30’-35’) buses (CNG) 

Totals: 507 354 153 

______________________

* Delivery of 13 additional CNG vehicles is planned in 2006 and 2007.

9
II. INDIVIDUAL PROJECT RESULTS 

The following descriptions of active projects are based on the final Progress Reports that 

participating airports submitted for September 30, 2005. Occasional references are made in this 

section to earlier Progress Reports, which participating airports have filed with the FAA biannually since the fall of 2001. 

The FAA encourages continued communication and information sharing between participating 

airports and other airports interested in low-emission projects. ILEAV airports should be 

contacted directly for more information, including copies of their Progress Reports and 

additional project information that they may make available in the future. Airport contacts with 

phone numbers and email addresses are provided in the project descriptions below. 

10
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) 

Airport Contact: Tammy Huddleston, phone (972) 574-1319, thuddleston@dfwairport.com 

Nonattainment Status: Ozone (moderate) 

Project description: All-electric GSE 

DFW used the project to deploy 156 electric GSE vehicles. These airline-owned vehicles consist 

of 146 bag tugs and 10 belt loaders. American Airlines operates 110 of the bag tugs and all ten 

of the belt loaders. Delta Air Lines operates the other 36 bag tugs. 

The airport’s engineering team installed 18 state-of-the-art parallel fast-charging systems at 

designated gates for Delta Air Lines and American Airlines. Each fast-charge system includes 

either five or eight ports that have the capability to charge up to ten or sixteen vehicles 

simultaneously. 

Layout of installed fast-charging systems to support Delta Air Lines operations in the DFW 

ILEAV project. In the background, David Patton of AeroVironment explains to Jim Dunning of 

Electricore, Inc., AeroVironment’s state-of-the-art battery management system installed in 

Delta’s electric GSE. DFW, with Electricore technical support, successfully installed 4 fastcharging systems for Delta Air Lines and 12 fast-charging systems for American Airlines. 

11
 

Gate D18 

Gate D22 

Gate D24 

Gate D25 

Gate D28 

Gate D31 

Gate D33 

Gate D36

American Airlines installed fast-charging systems at the following 8 locations around 

Terminal D. All chargers are configured with 8 dual stations, each with the capacity to 

charge 16 vehicles, or a total of 128 vehicles at Terminal D. 

12
Sacramento International Airport (SMF) 

Airport Contact: Greg Rowe, phone (916) 874-0698, roweg@saccounty.net 

Nonattainment Status: Ozone (serious) and PM10 (moderate). 

Project description: Mixed fuel and vehicle type 

In recognition of its active and forward-looking approach to emission reductions, SMF received 

a “Clean Air Champion” award from the American Lung Association in May 2005. The 

emission reduction benefits of the ILEAV program were cited as an important contribution to the 

airport’s clean air efforts. 

SMF used the ILEAV program to deploy 54 AFVs, including 20 CNG shuttle buses, 2 small 

airport-owned electric passenger vehicles, and 32 electric GSE. The GSE is owned and operated 

by three airlines: Southwest (4 bag tugs, 16 belt loaders), United (4 bag tugs and 4 belt loaders), 

and America West (4 belt loaders). The vehicles are new except for the 20 electric belt loaders 

purchased by Southwest and America West. These vehicles were converted from gasoline belt 

loaders to electric technology at Southwest’s maintenance facility in Phoenix. This practice 

saved the airlines about $10,000 per vehicle. 

AFV acquisition was complemented by investment in supporting infrastructure, including an 

upgrade to an existing CNG refueling station and several electric fast-charging systems. 

 Refueling of one of the project’s 20 (30-35’) operating CNG buses. 

13 
Rick Waugh, Southwest Airlines’ Western Region Manager, Ground Support, 

explains operation of a new SWA electric belt loader to Mustapha Janneh of 

International Group Technologies and ILEAV consultant to SMF. Below, Rick 

shows battery location. 

 

14
Denver International Airport (DIA) 

Airport Contact: Pam Armstead, phone (303) 342-2887, pam.armstead@diadenver.net 

Nonattainment Status: Ozone (Early Action Compact), CO (maintenance), PM10 (maintenance) 

Project description: Mixed fuel and vehicle type 

The DIA project supports 124 AFVs, of which 71 are GAV owned by the airport and 53 are GSE 

owned by tenants. The GAV are CNG powered and consist of 32 (40’) buses, 13 (22’) shuttles, 

24 pickup trucks, and 2 cars. The GSE consist of 40 CNG bag tugs, 9 electric belt loaders, and 4 

electric cargo tractors. The GSE is owned by various airlines and partners, led by SkyWest 

owning 9 belt loaders, 4 cargo tractors, and 4 bag tugs. Other bag tug owners and operators are 

Frontier (25), DHL Worldwide Express (6), Integrated Airline Services (2), Servisair/ 

GlobeGround (2), and Mesa Air (1). 

The project also supported a CNG station capacity upgrade at Concourse B, which was 

completed in 2002, and the acquisition of three fast-chargers by SkyWest. 

 

The airport sponsor is using vehicle mileage and hourly usage data to more accurately assess 

annual and lifetime project emission savings. The sponsor also labeled vehicles, developed 

public information, and implemented CNG fuel maintenance and training. 

One of the 27 40-foot CNG buses in the project being used for passenger 

service at DIA. 

15
 San Francisco International Airport (SFO) 

Airport Contact: Roger Hooson, phone (650) 821-6511, roger.hooson@flysfo.com 

Nonattainment Status: Ozone (marginal), CO (maintenance) 

Project description: Mixed fuel and vehicle type 

The airport sponsor used the ILEAV grant to purchase 141 AFVs and 31 units of infrastructure 

operated by six firms. Three fuels power the AFVs: electricity (54), propane (83), and CNG (4). 

The vehicle acquisitions by organization are as follows: 

 Airport Commission 4 shuttle buses (CNG) 

SkyWest Airlines 17 bag tugs, 7 belt loaders, 2 pushback tractors (electric) 

United Airlines 23 bag tugs (electric) 

Continental Airlines 5 belt loaders (electric) 

DHL Worldwide Express 11 bag tugs, 2 belt loaders, 8 vans (propane) 

Swissport Corporation 30 bag tugs, 13 belt loaders, 1 lav truck, 3 pickup trucks, 

15 vans (propane) 

 

For supporting infrastructure, the project enabled the purchase of various sized recharging 

systems for electric vehicles, including several small 1-2 port fast-charging systems acquired by 

SkyWest and 23 1-port conventional systems acquired by United. 

A noted feature of the project is the gasoline-to-propane conversions of 83 vehicles, which will 

enter service in 2006.6 The sponsor states that propane conversions of gasoline-powered 

vehicles are relatively inexpensive and proven to be reliable. 

Also under the project, United developed a vehicle tracking system to improve their monitoring 

and assessment of electric bag tugs, actual emission reductions, and the comparative 

performance of diesel and electric units. 

 

6

 The propane conversion program is described in an addendum to the SFO Progress Report includes an addendum, “ILEAV-SFO Propane GSE 

Project.” This report may be obtained from Mr. Hooson. 

16
One of the four operating 40-ft. CNG buses for passenger service at SFO. 

ETEC recharging stations for SkyWest electric GSE vehicles. 

17
Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport (BTR) 

Airport Contact: Ralph Hennessy, phone (225) 355-0333, rhennessy@ci.baton-rouge.la.us 

Nonattainment Status: Ozone (marginal) 

Project description: All-CNG GAV 

In 2004, the airport sponsor completed and began operating a new CNG refueling station, which 

is managed under lease with Texaco at its existing fuel station. Four new Ford F-150 CNG 

pickup trucks and three CNG Crown Victoria police interceptors have been deployed under the 

project. Another 13 vehicles are scheduled for operation. 

Public access to the CNG refueling station is permitted. Vehicle fleets owned or operated by the 

City, Entergy (the local utility provider), East Baton Rouge Parish School System, Cox 

Communications, and the Baton Rouge Water Company use the station currently. This usage 

provides additional emission reduction benefits for the region while the airport sponsor 

implements future plans to convert its entire fleet of gasoline/diesel vehicles to CNG. 

The project has broad community and industry support from the City of Baton Rouge, the local 

Chamber of Commerce, the Capital Region Planning Commission, the Baton Rouge Clean Air 

Coalition, the Baton Rouge Ozone Task Force, the Greater Baton Rouge Clean Cities Coalition, 

and the State departments of Environmental Quality and Natural Resources. 

Additional contributions to the project have come from the Ford Motor Company, Entergy, and 

Fuelman, Inc., which provided a card-reader system to track vehicle mileage, quantity and time 

of fuel use, fuel costs, and other elements of fleet data. The Louisiana Technical College, which 

is certified as an Alternate Fuel Regional Training Facility, is available for emissions and 

performance monitoring and for additional mechanic training. 

18
Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI) 

Airport Contact: Richard Keen, phone (410) 859-7662, rkeen@mdot.state.md.us

Nonattainment Status: Ozone (moderate), PM2.5

Project description: All-CNG GAV 

Currently, 25 low-floor 40 ft. Neoplan buses operate daily, ferrying passengers from the airport 

terminal to the consolidated rental car facility. The airport sponsor reports that the buses have 

operated successfully with no major CNG-fuel related problems and a good reception by the 

public. The total project expenditure of $1.125 million represents the incremental costs for the 

CNG buses ($45,000 per vehicle). 

The car rental consortium at BWI is comprised of eight national car rental firms: Hertz, Avis, 

National, Alamo, Budget, Enterprise, Dollar, and Thrifty. The rental car companies collect 

customer facility charges to reimburse the airport sponsor for purchase of the buses. The 

Consortium is contracting with two companies (IMPARK and FleetPro) to operate and maintain 

the fleet. 

One of 25 40 ft.CNG buses that are shuttling the public and employees from airport 

parking lots to BWI terminals. 

19
 

Current BWI CNG refueling station 

and a 40 ft. bus used for passenger 

service to parking lots. 

20