National Express has begun a one-month trial of a battery-electric Mercedes-Benz eCitaro at London Stansted Airport, using the bus on the landside shuttle between the airport’s long-stay car park and the terminal. The test replaces a diesel Mercedes-Benz Citaro on the high-frequency route and will assess whether electric buses can operate reliably in an airport environment.
The vehicle is expected to cover about 180 miles a day during the trial, which uses electricity from renewable sources. National Express and Stansted will monitor energy consumption, charging requirements, reliability, availability and feedback from passengers and staff. The trial is the operator’s first electric bus test on an airport car park shuttle service and is intended to identify the operational requirements for wider deployment.
The exercise comes as transport operators continue to examine battery-electric vehicles for short-haul, repetitive duty cycles where predictable routes and depot-style charging can support regular service. Airport shuttle operations can place sustained demands on vehicle uptime and scheduling, making them a useful test case for fleet electrification.