Lithium batteries for Ground Support Equipment: the green revolution promoting airports’ technological transition
24/07/2024 – Blog, Lithium batteries for electric vehicles
Lowering CO2 emissions and launching a technological transition process at airports has now become a priority for most of the players in this sector, who see the ambitious goals of the European Green Deal not as an obligation, but rather a real lever for increasing the competitiveness of the sector, with the utmost respect for the environment.
Following the setback in 2020 due to the pandemic, the green conversion of airports is now experiencing a major revival: investments are growing and this consequently increases the number of electrified applications. From GPUs up to tow tractors, pushbacks, belt loaders, PRM platforms and boarding stairs, there are many pieces of airport Ground Support Equipment (GSE) that are actively meeting the challenges set by the Green Deal to drastically reduce their emissions by 2030.
Airport vehicles are changing and lithium electrification is the key phrase!
We are faced with an undeniable fact, the future of airports is electric. But this will definitely not be a sudden conversion! On the contrary, it will be a really gradual evolution. While on the one hand, there are many OEMs pioneering electrification, who already long ago decided to invest in electrified solutions initially in lead and now in lithium, on the other hand, it has more recently become the interest of those who long thought the initial investment was not economically sustainable and have only recently understood the strategic importance of analysing the long-term benefits.
We are now therefore faced with a dual scenario:
- The desire to produce new full-electric equipment with lithium batteries
- The need to switch from lead to lithium for existing electric fleets
The same situation also interests and involves Ground Handlers, i.e. companies that manage airport services, including the supply of equipment. In fact, while the most cutting-edge airports are already partially electrified with lead-acid batteries, the key phrase has now changed and sees lithium as the turning point for airport electrification.
TCO: the key element in electrification choices for Ground Support Equipment
The lowest common denominator in the switch to lithium is the focus on Total Cost of Ownership – TCO, a key parameter for fully understanding the total economic value of an investment.
In fact, while many airport equipment manufacturers were initially put off by the higher purchase price of lithium batteries, field tests and TCO calculations have helped them to analyse the total economic investment and to assess their relative long-term economic benefits, such as the drastic reduction in maintenance costs and energy balance. This calculation shows a clear saving if you choose to follow the path of electrification with lithium batteries.
From lead to lithium with a view to greater efficiency and range
Lead-acid batteries are not just poor in terms of their TCO; this technology is now obsolete and extremely limited in terms of its performance and efficiency, especially from the point of view of its low energy efficiency (75%), high maintenance and infrastructure costs and life-cycle limits, given that, for example, it does not allow fast charging and partial or “opportunity” charging throughout the day. The charging times of lead-acid batteries are also extremely long and require from 6 to 8 hours for a full charge.
The path is now clear: airports, manufacturers and Ground Handlers have fully grasped the advantages of lithium technology compared with its equivalent lead version, starting with its high efficiency at over 96%, fast charging in just 2 hours, long service life (>4000 cycles), zero maintenance and, above all, the possibility of carrying out partial charges and discharges that guarantee a long operating range.
With lithium batteries, airports rely on safety and sustainability
Alongside the purely economic aspect and greater efficiency, the main purpose for adopting electric applications in the airport Ground Support Equipment sector is to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions, helping improve air quality at airports and reducing the overall environmental impact of airport operations.
In addition to all this, there is the drastic reduction in noise pollution, which improves workers’ comfort, who now have access to clean energy, giving them better protection when carrying out their everyday operations.
Furthermore, electric applications with lithium batteries improve the overall safety of the airport environment. Electric equipment, by its very nature, does not entail any risks of fuel leaks, already reducing the risk of fire in itself.
If you opt for the use of lithium batteries with LFP chemistry, then the safety level increases exponentially. This chemistry is the safest and most stable for the market of industrial vehicles and machinery, where intensive use is sometimes required. In fact, it has a high decomposition temperature and a slow heat release: two factors that help prevent thermal runaway and the subsequent fire risk. If combined with a smart battery management system, LFP chemistry will then guarantee maximum safety for the battery pack for a wide variety of uses.
Flash Battery lithium batteries: supporting OEMs and airport Ground Handlers since 2012
An airport is an interconnected world, full of dynamic interactions, complex infrastructures and advanced technologies, which have the common goal of guaranteeing fast movement, maximum safety and high operating efficiency. In this context, the GSE sector works like a real construction site, mobilising a large number of applications, each with specific functions, but all equally essential to ensure that everyday ground operations are carried out correctly.
Tow tractors, which we often see on the tarmac loaded with our luggage, or even shuttle buses which take us to the airplane, boarding stairs, PRM platforms, GPUs that provide power during ground operations, belt loaders and pushbacks: these are just a few examples of the huge fleet of machines that move around an airport and which now rely on the use of lithium batteries to meet their operating needs.
Thanks to our long experience in the sector and our customised consultancy-based approach, Flash Battery has been working alongside the biggest international Ground Handlers and OEMs for over 12 years, manufacturing customised lithium batteries for them based on the needs of every machine.
Customisation above all else!
Choosing the right lithium battery supplier is not just about the need to electrify your fleets. Alongside the power and dimensions of a battery, it is very important to carry out detailed analysis of the machine’s consumption, the environmental conditions where it will be used and the electricity infrastructures available.
Airports, in particular, must take into account the use of outdoor applications in very different parts of the world where looking for a supplier with substantial technical know-how in terms of temperature management becomes an essential part of the decision.
All the Flash Battery lithium battery packs produced to date for the airport sector actually have specific features designed to meet the needs of the sector, such as:
- A high IP protection rating (IP54-65) that makes the battery waterproof
- A built-in thermal management system that helps the battery to work properly in any weather conditions
- The installation of a remote diagnostics system that guarantees predictive fleet maintenance
Let’s take the example of the Flash Battery 76.8V, 420Ah – 32.3 kWh, which now powers an electric PRM platform made for a client having electrified their entire range of GSE applications.
Given that it is a piece of machinery that can operate in various places around the world, where the operating temperature can vary considerably, this battery has been designed to be able to work in harsh climates as well. In fact, the built-in heating system ensures optimum operation and guarantees maximum performance in the widest range of climates.
The main features of this customised project are:
- Built-in heating system
- Option of on-board and off-board charging
- IP65 seal
- Diagnostics with the option of 4G integration for remote control
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Automatic and predictive maintenance side by side in the Flash Data Center’s latest evolution
Breaks are not an option at airports: everything is dynamic, constantly moving, and machines never stop. This pursuit of speed clashes with the limits set by traditional technologies. In fact, lead-acid electrified or internal combustion machines have two major enemies: the need for maintenance and the possibility of encountering long periods of machine downtime in the event of malfunctions.
If implemented with advanced electronics, lithium batteries can overcome this obstacle, thanks to their capacity to perform predictive analysis throughout the life of the application. Flash Battery was one of the pioneers in the field of predictive maintenance, setting up the Flash Data Center in 2013, a proprietary automated remote monitoring cloud system, whose most recent release uses the latest machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithms to learn, analyse and process operating data 24/7 from all the Flash Battery systems active around the world, nipping any potential critical issues in the bud thanks to predictive maintenance and over-the-air updates.
Let’s look at a real-life example: if in Qatar, an operator leaves a tow tractor out in the sun, at an outdoor temperature of 55°C for a long period of time, the system can automatically send a notification to the Flash Battery after-sales department, which will be able to promptly alert the machine manufacturer and resolve this issue remotely before it can actually cause a malfunction in the battery.
Furthermore, OEMs and Ground Handlers can access the portal on their own, at any time, so they can check the state of health of their batteries, analyse big data on all the active systems on their individual machines around the world, but also perform consumption analysis and specific functions for their entire fleet, so they can study the direction of their future investments as best as possible.
What’s next? Airports as an integrated smart factory
Electrification with lithium batteries has now become an integral part of airports, with the goal of evolving in synergy towards a new concept of 4.0 smart industry.
Gradually improving airport operations to guarantee increasingly flexible and streamlined operations is behind the goals of the Ground Support Equipment of the near future.
The new keyword which will accompany lithium in the airport evolution is automation. The most cutting-edge manufacturers have already made the first self-driving tow tractors and we will soon see increasingly widespread adoption of automated GSE applications which, just like in a smart factory, will shape the sector’s future with a view to greater productivity, flexibility and safety, all with zero emissions.
The challenge now lies with setting up infrastructures that carry out the loading operations of electric machines with ease, ensuring that any supporting technologies meet operating needs, therefore creating a fully integrated and sustainable airport ecosystem
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