News
Transportation Review Board and Electrical Energy Storage Applications & Technology Presentations
Two Athena ZEV papers—highlighting the latest research results for behind-the-meter energy storage and generation and on EVI-Rental, a simulation fool for car rental electrification—were accepted to the 2025 Transportation Review Board Annual Meeting, organized by the National Academies of Sciences in our nation’s capital, and the 2025 IEEE Electrical Energy Storage Applications & Technology (EESAT) meeting. These papers we led by Drs. Yanbo Ge and Roberto Vercellino.
Portland International Airport Unveils First DC Fast Charging for Rental Facilities
Portland International Airport, an Athena ZEV partner, became the first major airport with a DC fast charging system for on-site rental car partners to utilize. The technology charges vehicles approximately eight times faster than a standard charger.
San Luis Obispo and Austin Airports to join Athena Advisory Board
Athena ZEV has two new advisors! San Luis Obispo County Airport (California) and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (Texas) have joined on to help prototype solutions and advise on tool development. These two airports join 12 other US airport partners who help advise the project.
Going Green For Airports
We were thrilled this year to join the Electrification panel with our colleagues from DEN, DFW, and SLC airports to speak to our work on zero emission vehicle electrification under Athena ZEV as well as other emerging electrification research topics. This conference was organized by the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) and was located in Chicago in collaboration with the Chicago department of Aviation. For more information on the event, see the Airports Going Green webpage.
Athena ZEV Takes Up Challenge of Electrifying Airports and De-Risking Investment
NREL met with stakeholders and partners at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to launch Athena ZEV—the next phase of Athena—which aims to electrify transportation and de-risk airport investments, with an initial focus on rental cars.
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Athena Papers Accepted to Transportation Review Board Meeting
Two Athena papers were accepted to the 2021 virtual Transportation Review Board Annual Meeting that will bring together government, industry, academia, and research organizations to discuss topics within the theme of Launching a New Century of Mobility and Quality of Life.
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Multiyear NREL Study Uses Digital Twin of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to Inform Long-Term Investments at Major Transportation Hubs
Now in the third year of the Athena project, the team has published a series of three journal articles sharing key results on shuttle bus route optimization and expanded parking choices to improve energy use and reduce operational costs at airports.
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DFW International Airport CEO Highlights Athena
In an interview for the Air Transport Advisory Group, DFW International Airport CEO Sean Donohue acknowledged the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Athena project as key factors for reducing emissions, improving efficiency, and enhancing energy systems at the airport.
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Sharing Athena Insights Across the Department of Energy Complex
Athena's Lindy Williams presented at the 2020 Conference on Data Analysis about using machine-learning-enhanced modeling to accurately forecast airport traffic and congestion.
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Monte Lunacek Educates About the Value of Digital Twins
Athena's lead researcher Monte Lunacek presented on how digital twins can optimize airport operations during an Engineering News-Record webinar.
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Sharing about Supercomputing Models in Washington, D.C.
Athena's Caleb Phillips is attending the ACRP Airport Terminals and Ground Access Committee meeting, where he's been invited to present about supercomputing models for advanced airport ground mobility.
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Touchdown in Chicago for Airports Going Green presentation
We were excited to visit Chicago and participate in the Airports Going Green 2019 conference panel on Sustainability and Asset Management with our collaborators at LAX and DFW. Looking forward to next year's event!
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UPS, SLC Airport, and Port of Seattle join Athena team
We're thrilled to share that the United Parcel Service (UPS) is now an Athena industry advisor, and Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) and Port of Seattle have joined our technical advisory board.
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Get to know Athena in our new video
Curious about how we're transforming transportation hubs like DFW? Check out our new video to learn about the innovative analysis and personalities behind our project.
