Electrification of ground support equipment

Battery and propulsion systems for ground support equipment – reliable, scalable and ready for series production in no time.

On the ground, time is of the essence.
There is little time between landing and take-off. Ground support equipment must therefore be reliably available, capable of handling short and repetitive operational cycles, and able to be integrated cost-effectively into existing airport processes.

Short cycle times. High availability.

Aircraft tractors, baggage tractors and service vehicles operate within tightly scheduled turnaround processes. Any unplanned breakdown has an immediate impact on ground handling, connecting flights and turnaround times. Battery and drive systems for GSE must therefore remain reliably available even under intensive use.

Many cycles, short charging windows.

Ground handling equipment frequently travels short distances, stops, accelerates and repeatedly returns to its point of operation. The battery must be able to cope with this dynamic load profile over the long term and be charged efficiently during breaks or shift changes. Key factors are cycle life, thermal management and a system tailored to the charging infrastructure.

Different vehicles. Different performance profiles.

From baggage trolley tractors, through ground power supply units and water service vehicles, to heavy-duty pushback tractors, there are significant differences in installation space, voltage, peak power and energy requirements. There is a need for scalable battery systems that can cover various GSE platforms without having to start from scratch for every application.

Battery systems · Propulsion solutions · Industrialisation

From standardised battery systems to bespoke GSE solutions.

Many small and medium-sized GSE OEMs wish to electrify their ground support equipment without having to develop their own batteries or build up additional industrialisation resources. Handtmann offers a quick start with MODUBAT and, where required, expands the solution to include customised battery and ePowertrain systems, system integration and scalable series production.

  • MODUBAT – a standardised, modular and scalable battery system for rapid integration into GSE vehicles

  • Customised battery systems – for the specific packaging, performance and charging requirements of ground handling

  • ePowertrain integration – coordinated battery, drive and control systems from a single source

  • Industrialisation – scalable series production, from small-batch runs to growing fleet requirements
About our battery systems

What makes us well-suited to the electrification of ground support equipment.

Get started quickly without having to develop your own battery

MODUBAT offers GSE OEMs a standardised and scalable platform to help them get started with electrification. This reduces development costs, shortens lead times and creates a robust foundation for different vehicle types and fleet requirements.

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Scalable from baggage tractors to pushback tractors

MODUBAT can be adapted to the specific application in terms of capacity, voltage and dimensions. The available capacity range of 12.1 to 1,270 kWh and voltages from 115 to 1,000 V DC provide scope for compact service vehicles as well as for high-power aircraft tugs.

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Development and production remain under one roof

Handtmann combines system development, validation, industrialisation and series production. 164 MWh of battery capacity already industrialised demonstrates that what we develop does not remain at the prototype stage. It is brought into series production in a reproducible, reliable and scalable manner.

 

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What manufacturers of ground support equipment ask.

MODUBAT is generally suitable for a range of ground handling applications, including baggage tractors and baggage trolley tractors, aircraft tractors or pushback tractors, ground power supply units, catering and service vehicles, toilet and water service vehicles, de-icers and cargo handling equipment. The specific design depends on the installation space, power requirements, peak load, operating time and loading windows.

To begin with, we analyse driving profiles, downtime, charging infrastructure, power requirements and environmental conditions. This enables us to determine the appropriate capacity, charging power and cooling strategy. Liquid cooling and a tailored battery management system ensure high cycle stability and reliable availability during shift operation.

A standardised system is ideal when the priority is rapid and cost-effective integration into series production and the vehicle architecture can be accommodated within the available configurations. Where there are specific requirements regarding installation space, performance, charging or functionality, we develop a bespoke battery or ePowertrain system.

Related topics.

Standardised battery systems

MODUBAT – the modular battery platform for the rapid and scalable electrification of ground support equipment.

About MODUBAT

Customised battery and ePowertrain systems

For GSE vehicles with specific requirements regarding installation space, performance, loading window and system architecture.

About bespoke systems

The industrialisation of mobile applications

Scalable series production for battery and propulsion systems in ground handling – from small-batch production to industrialised production lines.

On the industrialisation of mobile applications

All sectors

An overview of our solutions for other mobile applications and sectors.

To the industry overview

Your GSE. Our system. Ready for the next turnaround.

Whether it’s a baggage tractor, aircraft tractor, ground power unit, service vehicle, de-icer or cargo handling equipment: get in touch with us to discuss your electric vehicle platform, battery integration or scaling up to series production.

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