Palm Springs Airport Adding 80 EV Chargers, Many Airports Are Electrifying Equipment

On August 28, 2025, Palm Springs International Airport (PSP), announced it is charging ahead with a major parking upgrade: the installation of 80 new Level 2 electric vehicle chargers in Parking Lot B, directly in front of the terminal. Once complete, PSP will host one of the largest airport EV charging deployments in Southern California, second only to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and San Diego International Airport (SAN), in the beautiful home county of EVinfo.net.

The project represents an investment of about $400,000 after rebates and is fully funded through airport-generated revenue rather than local taxpayer dollars. Construction is beginning immediately and will continue in phases through late 2025.

During this period, portions of Lot B will be closed, temporarily reducing the airport’s main parking supply by about 10 percent. To ensure travelers still have plenty of options, PSP’s convenient Lots A, C, and D will remain open, and the overflow lot on Kirk Douglas Way, which offers more than 800 spaces, will be available with shuttle service to and from the terminal. Real-time parking availability is always accessible at flyPSP.com. The new chargers are expected to come online in early 2026, giving EV drivers the convenience of charging just steps from the terminal.

In addition to improving passenger services, PSP is also expanding its sustainability efforts on the ground. The airport is acquiring eight zero-emission pickup trucks to support daily operations while reducing environmental impact. The $600,000 project is primarily supported by a Federal Aviation Administration Zero Emissions Vehicle grant, which covers 90 percent of the cost, with the remaining 10 percent funded through airport-generated revenue.

The vehicles are scheduled to arrive in 2025, marking another milestone in PSP’s broader Progress PSP initiative, which is focused on building a cleaner, more sustainable future for the airport and the Coachella Valley community it serves.

“Palm Springs International Airport is proud to meet the new standard for sustainability and convenience with the installation of 80 EV chargers right at the terminal,” said Harry Barrett, Jr., Executive Director of Aviation. “We’re grateful for our community’s patience during construction, and we look forward to delivering a project that keeps PSP easy while moving us toward a cleaner future.”

Airport Fleet and Ground Support Electrification Takes off Across the U.S. and Worldwide

In January 2025, EVinfo.net reported that the sustainability movement has moved to airports, as ground support equipment (GSE) and fleets of vehicles at airports are rapidly getting electrified. We covered California’s Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), San Francisco International Airport (SFO), and the UK’s London Heathrow Airport as examples. However, there are many more around the world and the US doing the same.

Facilities Dive reported in April 2024 that decarbonizing ground vehicles, including runway support equipment and rental cars, requires close coordination between airport operators and third-party vehicle owners, according to airport officials.

Airports across the U.S. are making significant strides in decarbonizing their ground operations, particularly through the adoption of electric ground support equipment (eGSE). At Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac), more than 400 of these electrified vehicles—such as belt loaders, pushback tugs, and baggage tugs—now make up much of its day-to-day fleet. Sea-Tac’s electrification efforts began in 2014, during a broader shift in the industry, and by 2016 several major airports, including Philadelphia and Dallas–Fort Worth, also had hundreds of eGSEs in operation.

The U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, in a 2017 paper on eGSEs in airports, reported that it had counted “at least 22 U.S. airports with significant eGSE projects,” by May 2016.

While ground equipment contributes a relatively small share of an airport’s carbon emissions—around 10 percent of Scope 1 and 2 emissions at Sea-Tac compared to 80 percent from heating and cooling, airports are under increasing pressure to act. The FAA’s directive for U.S. airports to reach zero carbon emissions by 2050 is spurring fleet transitions. However, implementation involves coordination challenges since many vehicles on the tarmac are owned not by airports but by airlines or third-party contractors.

Moreover, electrifying airport fleets brings logistical hurdles. Even though most airports own light- and medium-duty work vehicles—ideal candidates for electrification due to proximity to charging infrastructure and predictable use patterns, managers often struggle with insufficient parking space and charging access. For example, Sea-Tac’s fleet vehicles sometimes must charge at distant locations because they lack designated overnight stalls near Level 2 chargers, complicating fleet management.

How the Blink Network Supports the Ride to Airport Electrification

EV charging leader Blink describes how it aids airports in electrification. In this article, Blink Charging highlights the growing shift in airports toward electrifying ground operations and expanding EV charging for staff and travelers, noting that while electric airplanes are still in development, airport ground support fleet vehicles, such as belt loaders, luggage tugs, pushback tractors, and shuttle buses, are increasingly being electrified.

The post outlines four essential elements for airport EV charging strategies: deploying Level 2 chargers for light-duty vehicles and shuttles (including options like Blink’s dual-port Series 8 and Series 7), preparing make-ready infrastructure (such as conduits and wiring) in phases to enable future expansion, ensuring charger reliability through regular maintenance via Blink Care programs, and leveraging charging infrastructure as a revenue stream through networked billing and usage tracking.

Lynkwell Supports Airport Fleet Electrification and More

Lynkwell empowers airports and other organizations to not only electrify but truly optimize their fleets by delivering a full-spectrum suite of EV charging solutions. Their flagship XLynk™ Level 2 charger features an 80-amp output, RFID capability, and a proprietary EZ-Swap Faceplate for rapid servicing. Combined with their Lynkwell X-Change™ energy-management platform, which integrates chargers, utilities, clean energy partners, and OEMs, fleets gain unmatched visibility and control through advanced remote monitoring, diagnostics, automated alerts, and management software.

Designed to be hardware-agnostic and future-proof, the system supports AC and DC chargers, renewable energy integration, and monetization through analytics, all backed by near-perfect uptime and U.S.-based support. This turnkey approach has delivered significant savings for customers, like the City of Schenectady, New York, where newly electrified vehicles cut fuel and operating costs substantially while dramatically reducing CO₂ emissions.