Golf Carts in Airports; A Matter of Necessity
At a glance, the use of golf carts within an airport might be viewed as limited. This is far from the reality. Today’s airports are complex and vast facilities. A variety of electric vehicle solutions are an every day necessity.
Albion Golf Cars is the leader in modifying and providing vehicles to airports across Canada. More than two decades of support from the major airlines and airport authorities has helped hone our expertise in this unique market.
The requirement is enormous in scale. As an example, Toronto’s Pearson International Airport handles over 48 million passengers a year; 40,000 people work there and it covers 18 square kilometres. Passenger or employee transportation is a huge market. Security and safety are critical. Aging demographics and airline travel growth will only expand the requirement for more vehicles.
Types of Vehicles:
The most typical and visible airport units are People Movers (a.k.a. Shuttles or Surreys); these can be configured as 4, 6 or 8 passenger. Utility, or task orientated units for airport workers are used behind the scenes. These can have an open box, a custom container or a simple flatbed. Unique EMS or wheelchair units are also available within most airports.
Brands:
The leading brands include: Club Car, Carryall, E-Z-GO, Cushman, Yamaha, AGT Electric (Star Car in USA), Garia Luxury as well as Garia Utility. All have solid engineering and meet various price points; starting at $10,000 for a base model AGT 4 passenger up to $40,000 for a Garia Luxury 6 Passenger.
Unique Requirements and Modifications:
The airport venue presents unique circumstances for vehicle specifications. Security and public safety needs are paramount. Vehicle reliability is critical. The airport environment is always crowed and often tense. Accidents often result in litigation. Vehicle features are often airline or airport specific. Although most vehicle brands come standard with lights, turn signals and a horn, Albion is usually asked to modify the unit. Listed below are just a few of the optional modifications we have been contracted to perform:
Conversion of flooded lead acid battery to gel or AGM versions for security or safety reasons. (Conversion to Lithium as well is coming)
Modification to the charger algorithms to suit differing batteries.
Programming the OBC to affect speed settings or other profiles.
Addition of an onboard charger.
Addition of a reel cord (retracting) apparatus to the onboard charger.
Enhanced grab and safety bars for passenger safety.
Add protective screening around onboard charger.
Add a accelerator pedal protection device (prevents luggage falling on the pedal; this has resulted in a major law suit)
Add seatbelts.
Add safety beacon.
Add fire extinguisher.
Add non-marking tires
Adding of a tracking or ignition monitoring device.
The original golf car has travelled a long distance from “fairway to runway”. Keep an eye open for an Albion Golf Cars vehicle when you visit your next airport.
Please feel free to contact us for further information: Email: info@albiongolfcars.com Website: www.albiongolfcars.com
Albion is an authorized dealer for AGT Electric Cars, Club Car Onward, Club Car XRT Utility, Garia Luxury Cars, Garia Utility and MOKE America. We are also an experienced vendor of E-Z-GO, Cushman and Yamaha brands.
Albion Golf Cars of Toronto is dedicated to providing new and used golf cart and utility vehicle solutions for our customers. Founded in 1973, we pride ourselves as being customer focused, committed to constant improvement, and a service leader in our field. We provide knowledgeable sales, custom outfitting, fleet rentals, special event rentals, in-house and mobile service, parts and accessories. Our personnel are well trained, driven, entrepreneurial, and focused on providing only the best products and service for our customers.
