BACKGROUND

Airport operators are confronted with a pressing need to prepare for the electrification of rental car (RAC) fleets. The impending shift toward RAC fleet electrification, driven in part by sustainability goals, customer demand, and regulatory compliance, poses a unique set of issues for airport practitioners: information about RAC operations is often proprietary; there are various models of RAC operations; and the rate of RAC fleet conversion to electrical vehicles (EVs) is uncertain. Given these factors, airport operators are facing new challenges that include how to plan to effectively meet the future charging and electricity demands of RACs; balance competing needs for electrical capacity among RACs and other airport users; and reexamine traditional contracting mechanisms, funding sources, and revenue streams.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this research is to develop a guide, including an executive summary and slide deck, to help US airports incorporate RAC fleet electrification considerations into their long-range planning and operations and provide actionable near-term decision-making consistent with airport long-term goals. The research should encompass a broad range of airport sizes, rental car facilities, markets, and geographical locations.   

The guide should help airport practitioners, at a minimum:

• Understand the fundamental components of RAC current operations, facility requirements, and business models, including variations between consolidated rental car facilities (CONRAC) and distributed lots;
• Identify relevant internal stakeholders and understand the interdisciplinary implications of RAC EV operations for them (e.g., contracts, commercial leasing, finance);
• Identify relevant external stakeholders and understand best practices and necessary data for approaching and coordinating with them regarding RAC EV operations (e.g., utilities, fire marshal, RAC);
• Identify new and/or unique RAC business and operational processes and provide guidance on updating airport business and operational practices accordingly;
• Understand the various models for ownership of RAC EV chargers and supporting infrastructure, personnel training, maintenance responsibilities, costs, and revenue generation;
• Provide a summary of technical considerations for RAC EV charging infrastructure deployment, including levels of charging, load management, electrical upgrades, and utility connections;
• Identify and/or describe methods for estimating future electrical demand for RAC EV fleets;
• Identify and/or describe methods to translate RAC EV demand estimation into electrical infrastructure requirements; and
• Identify considerations for integrating RAC EV fleets within the broader airport resiliency framework and environmental and sustainability plans. 

RESEARCH PLAN

The research plan shall include the following interim deliverables, at a minimum, for ACRP review and approval:

• A stakeholder outreach and data collection plan;
• A description of fundamental components of RAC current operations, facility requirements, and business models, including variations between CONRAC and distributed lots;
• A draft list of new and/or unique business and operational processes presented in a user-friendly format such as a matrix or table;
• An overview of the methods that may be used for estimating future electrical demand for RAC EV fleets. It may include a summary of existing resources or tools categorized by complexity and project development phase; and
• An interim report, including a summary of the research to date, an annotated outline of the guide, and potential follow-on research ideas to be developed into problem statements.

The research plan shall include, at a minimum, the following checkpoints with the ACRP panel: 

• A kick-off web meeting to be held within 1 month of the Notice to Proceed;
• One face-to-face interim report review meeting; and
• A 1-hour web meeting to be held during the week following the delivery of each quarterly progress report.

The final deliverables will include:

• The guide, including the executive summary;
• Executive summary slide deck;
• Contractor’s Final Report documenting all research steps, results, and analysis;
• The Summary of Key Findings; (b) the Further Recommended Research Memo; and (c) a technical memo titled “Implementation of Research Findings and Products”.

STATUS: Proposals have been received in response to the RFP. The project panel will meet to select a contractor to perform the work.