Ground_Support_October_2020 - 16

Michael Nelson, general manager at
Advanced Charging Technologies (ACT),
points out maintenance costs can be lowered further with battery-powered GSE as
no parts, oil, antifreeze, fuel filters and other
components need to be replaced. What's more,
charging technology has greatly advanced.
"New generation chargers are more efficient and take less energy off the grid," he
adds.
By eliminating idling engines on the ramp,
noise pollution can also be reduced. Alternative energy equipment can even contribute to
cleaner environments in the areas immediately surrounding an airport.
"Less environmental impact is always the
first benefit that comes to mind," says Henry
Balensifer, marketing and government relations manager at JBT LEKTRO. "The long
term cost savings really is where the most
significant benefits are, particularly now."

Alternative Energy in Use

Photo courtesy of Aviramp

Alternative energy GSE is not new to the
industry, necessarily. However, these technologies are regularly evolving and becoming
increasingly efficient.
For example, Crump notes baggage tractors, belt-loaders, smaller pushbacks and
hydrant carts have utilized alternative energy,
particularly electric battery power, for years.
"Today, we are seeing more of an influx
in larger energy consuming GSE, such as
pushback tractors and loaders, becoming
more common as technology has improved
in this segment," he says.
According to Smart-Jewkes, solar power
can also be effective, noting Aviramp developed an electric and solar suite of boarding
ramps and bridges to help ground service providers meet pending sustainability mandates.
"We believe that electric and solar are gaining a great deal of traction and this would

Photo courtesy of Vestergaard Company

COVER STORY

have progressed even further were it not
for the COVID-19 global pandemic," says
Smart-Jewkes.
In addition to battery-powered equipment, Balensifer notes JBT LEKTRO has
also worked with hydrogen fuel cells. But he
points to a lack of infrastructure limiting the
potential of that power source.
"We have hybrid equipment for areas
where the charging stations are a mile or
more away from the duty station, or for areas
with limited power infrastructure," Balensifer
adds. "We have some other new technology in
the works that enables airports to use existing
infrastructure without putting any additional
demand on the systems in place."
According to Rocha, green GSE can be
applied across numerous types of equipment.
"Tractors, loaders, 400 Hz ground power
units and pre-conditioned air can all utilize
alternative energy technologies," he says.
"Battery-powered GSE are more cost effective and scalable," Nelson adds.
Companies like Vestergaard have found
alternative power solutions for equipment
like lavatory and water units and deicers.
"This past year, we have launched fully
electric chassis carrying toilet and water service vehicles, electric towable units and we
have launched a hybrid/electric Elephant
BETA deicer," says Barsoe.

Industry Adoption
When it comes to alternative energy solutions, some equipment can come with higher
upfront costs. But Nelson points out that can
often be offset by lower operating and maintenance costs and examining the true cost of
ownership.
Traditionally, a lack of electrical infrastructure to support implementation has

16 GROUND SUPPORT WORLDWIDE

OCTOBER 2020

slowed adoption of eGSE. However, Crump
says this is beginning to change.
"The largest barrier is investing in infrastructure, and then losing that contract and
not being able to deploy the chargers to where
it best suits your operation," he says. "Having
the airports own the chargers helps to change
this issue and add flexibility to the situation."
"Electric infrastructure is a major challenge. Simply having enough power to make
charging infrastructure possible is a huge
challenge," agrees Barsoe. "Another challenge
is the time it takes to charge an electric vehicle
compared to filling it with diesel or gasoline."
He adds that having dialogue with the
airports and power companies well before
changing to electric units and planning sufficient space to charge and park vehicles can
help alleviate these potential pain points.
"If they are utilizing certain assets that
consume large amounts of energy to move
from gate to gate, they may not be able to support flights," Crump says. "PosiCharge assists
the airports with the flexibility they need by
offering multi-port charging solutions, which
can charge up to 16 vehicles at once and share
power with existing circuits and other devices
at the jet bridge."
Changing the behavior of ground handling personnel, especially when it comes to
refueling/charging habits, is also a challenge,
according to Rocha. However, with training
and time, these challenges can be overcome.
"Habits can be hard to break and ground
handlers are used to certain product types,"
points out Smart-Jewkes, adding change
management is imperative when an operation implements new technology.
Despite a new power source, overcoming
these challenges can be easier if the GSE can
be operated similarly to previous models.

Ground_Support_October_2020

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