Mullen Automotive, Inc., an emerging electric vehicle (“EV”) manufacturer, announced Feb. 2 a pilot program for Class 1 EV cargo vans with Menzies Aviation and Loop Global Inc. at Los Angeles International Airport (“LAX”).

Menzies Aviation, one of the world's largest aviation services company, is piloting Mullen Automotive electric vans and Loop Global charging infrastructure across its operations at LAX as it looks for ways to support a goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2033.

Mullen and Menzies agreed to a 60-day program that will evaluate the Class 1 electric vehicle (EV) cargo vans in several use cases across Menzies’ LAX operations, such as transporting cabin cleaning teams to aircraft.

Loop Global will provide EV charging infrastructure and fleet operations software to service the Mullen electric vans through its electric vehicle fleet as-a-service (EVFaaS) program. With the Loop cloud-based charger management system (CMS), Menzies will be able to charge Mullen’s electric vehicles between each shift to keep them powered for daily operations across LAX. 

Menzies operates in 250-plus airports in 58 countries, providing ground, air cargo and fuel services to commercial airports and airlines. It has a global fleet of 27,000 ground service equipment, including over 8,000 vehicles.

“We have committed to switching to electric vehicles wherever possible to reduce our carbon emissions,” said John Redmond, executive vice president Americas for Menzies Aviation, in a news release. “However, charging infrastructure can be a barrier, so it’s great to be working with both Mullen and Loop to pilot a solution at LAX. Early feedback is positive, and I’m looking forward to seeing the results from this collaboration.”

Dustin Cavanaugh, CEO of Loop Global, Inc., added, “We hope this pilot at LAX is just a stepping stone in ushering in a new era of fleet electrification at airports throughout the world.”