Electric Airport Transfers in the French Alps
Cool Bus established itself in Bourg St. Maurice in 2002, not long after budget flights to the French Alps became a thing, and do it yourself ski trips with independent chalet companies started to overtake traditional package holidays. Over the course of the following 15 years our business grew from 1 owner/driver in a rusty old Mercedes 508, to 25 shiny new Volkswagen Caravelles driven by a team of 35 drivers, clocking up 1 million kms a year.
In 2016 we took a plunge into the newly emerging, electric car market, and purchased a Tesla Model X, the first in our area to do so. That winter we racked up 40,000 electric km, and in the process, won the 2017 Travel Innovation category at the Daily Telegraph World Snow Awards. The following winter we ran two Model X’s and clocked 80,000 electric kms. It 2019 we had three. Then the pandemic hit.
The previous 18 years of hard work meant we had the assets to keep us liquid through what turned out to be nearly two full years of close to zero activity, but we came out the other side considerably leaner. Like many, the pandemic gave us time to reflect and analyse where we’d come from and were headed to, what was working and what wasn’t. The result was, we found our sweet spot, enough vehicles and staff to allow us to cope with volume, but small enough to ensure the level of service we provide is the best it can be and that we can take our business where we think it needs to go.
For 2024/25 we have 12 vehicles on the road – 3 Tesla Model X, 6 Mercedes electric EQV minibuses and 3 VW Caravelles (read more on our fleet here). The electric share of this winter’s kilometres should exceed 70%, this means if you book with us you are more likely to travel in an electric vehicle than a diesel. If that makes you nervous, read our EVFAQ here to find out why it shouldn’t.
On the 1st April 2024 we hit the landmark of 1 million electric km saving 80,000 litres of diesel and over 200 tons of CO2. Our electric km for the 2023/24 season alone exceeded 250,000. Ultimately, the goal is to be fully carbon neutral in 2026, an objective we ratified by signing up to the Protect Our Winters UK pledge in 2019.
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Charging a Fleet of Electric Airport Transfer Vehicles in the French Alps
As we rapidly approach our 1 millionth electric kilometre, we thought it was high time we gave a big shout out to OJP Electricien. Ollie Pearce is an experienced local electrician who has also worked many seasons as a Cool Bus driver. As such, who better to help us navigate our way around the brave new world of vehicle charging. Winding back to 2016 when we bought our first Tesla Model X, the whole idea of charging a vehicle at your own property was still in its infancy. Ollie installed an outdoor 3-phase socket for us. Basic but effective. With the correct adapter from Tesla we were able to charge from the supply at our main property in Bourg at a rate in excess of 40 kmph. 2017 and 2018 saw us buy two additional Tesla’s and Ollie installed two…
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