Current developments

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2 Current developments Here, Helmuth von Grolman of Colibri Energy considers the justification for advanced battery power within the aviation sector. Readers will be aware that we continue to see strong airline tra c and passenger mile growth across the globe, through continued economic development and rising personal income. is is especially true of the Asia Paci c region, the Middle East and South America. In the coming couple of decades, it is thought that airports in these regions will triple their current passenger capacity, resulting in larger airports with larger GSE vehicle eets that will be used to move increasing numbers of passengers, baggage and cargo. For example, at Hong Kong International, mid- eld operations are resulting in longer travel distances for passengers, cargo and baggage. Yet service level agreements for ground handlers are the same as before the start of mid- eld operations. As airports and GSE vehicle eets get larger, so operational complexity is increasing. Airports are looking to optimise space and infrastructure as one way to accommodate growth. Reduction in maintenance areas, installation of shared charging infrastructure and implementation of new operations models, like the pooling of ground handling equipment at Heathrow airport, have been trialled and implemented. Alongside this, many national and local governments, airport authorities and regulators are increasing their pressure on airports to reduce carbon emissions. Sweden, for example, is already in uencing GSE purchasing behaviour and operations by pressing ground handling operators to go completely electric - today. In fact, in Scandinavia, the purchase of new diesel baggage tractors and the movement of already purchased diesel tractors between Scandinavia s airports has been stopped. Carbon neutral airport growth is an integral part of the strategy for the airline industry, airports and national governments. For example, IATA set the goal of carbon neutral growth in the airline industry (starting in 2020) to avoid mandated CO 2 reduction targets from outside the industry. It is also known that at least 150 airports (covering 31% of total passenger volume) have CO 2 reduction initiatives underway. Replacement of diesel-powered GSE eets with electric power is increasing as new GSE models become available, charging infrastructure becomes more widespread and lithium ba ery technologies gain acceptance. With a backdrop of continued passenger growth and carbon reduction, the industry is also constantly challenged to improve its operating e ciency. Initiatives that can address many of these challenges at the same time, those that support growth, reduce carbon and deliver cost savings, are gaining management a ention. Changes that a ect the ground handling industry GSE manufacturers are at a crossroads. Diesel-powered vehicles will require higher 26 FEBRUARY-MARCH 2017 RAMP EQUIPMENT NEWS

3 cost Tier IV engines and low sulphur fuel to achieve future emissions targets. Given the diesel motor scandals in the passenger vehicle market, scrutiny of diesel motor emissions will increase. Hybrid GSE is losing ground as a green alternative, as the total cost of ownership has proven to be higher than that of diesel equipment. e only clear way out would appear to be that of electric. Consequently, many GSE manufacturers are adding electric GSE to their product portfolio, despite the poor performance of ooded lead-acid and lead gel traction ba eries. But it s not that simple. e maintenance e ort and short lifetime of lead-acid ba ery technologies, especially in hot regions, is a challenge for ground handling operators. Ba ery charging and maintenance areas can be far away from operational areas and maintenance sta are in short supply. A slow lead-acid ba ery charge time may cause many operators to purchase multiple ba eries per vehicle and then install ba ery changing stations to support daily operations, further increasing costs and operational complexity. For reasons such as this, the GSE industry is now adopting lithium ba ery technology instead of lead-acid. Colibri Energy lithium polymer ba eries can charge two to three times faster than lead-acid ba eries and can be driven or charged at any state of charge. ey also have higher energy density compared to lead-acid ba eries and require no maintenance. Such characteristics simplify airport operations and reduce operating bills. Because of the ba eries extended lifetime and predictable performance, GSE operators for the rst time can lease ba eries and move ba ery purchases from CAPEX to OPEX. Pioneer of the technology Colibri Energy can be considered a pioneer in the application of lithium polymer ba ery technology in the GSE industry. Using its experience in e-mobility for automotive and industrial traction vehicle applications, in 2014 the company equipped a eet of over 70 TLD and Charla e baggage tractors with lithium ba eries for Qatar Airlines at the new Hamad International airport in Doha. e start was a challenge, acknowledges Colibri s CEO. Most GSE customers didn t believe the technical and commercial advantages our lithium traction product could deliver. Even for the equipment manufacturers it was di cult at rst to accept this new technology. Some of them had tried to develop, in house, a lithium ba ery pack and struggled with the technology, so they were sceptical we could deliver a solution fully compatible with their equipment. e Qatar Airways project started with a demanding 18 month technical trial in e conditions in Qatar are tough. Temperatures reach 50 C and there s 100% humidity in Doha. On the tarmac in the sun, it is even ho er, adds von Grolman. A er we developed the systems and tested them in our Berlin factory, we ended up testing everything in Doha and then again in France at TLD and Charla e s manufacturing facilities. e performance, though, was convincing. Following its introduction in 2014 with TLD s Jet 16 and Charla e s T135 baggage tractors, Colibri s lithium ba ery has proved fully compatible with baggage tractors from Toyota, MULAG, Trepel and Still. Technical advantages Qatar Airlines is now in its third year of operation, with the world s largest eet of lithium-powered baggage tractors. is eet is averaging 2,400 operational hours per tractor per year in a round-the-clock operation. e system has proven its reliability and has eliminated ba ery maintenance, a major headache the carrier wanted to avoid as it transitioned from diesel Looking back Clive Sauvé-Hopkins, currently CEO at Aviapartner, was involved in the Qatar operation. We spent six months in the trials with TLD and Charla e and we had amazing support from both companies. Colibri s support was also good there were a few teething problems early on, but these were quickly resolved. We conducted monthly checks on the ba eries and they outperformed expectation, both in terms of standard charging and opportunity charging. In fact, we were ge ing four times the performance of lead-acid. Ultimately, the success of the project was down to the willingness of the airport authority to install the relevant charging technology which for the Colibri application, was a very straightforward procedure. to electric ground handling equipment. Qatar Airlines is making extensive use of opportunity charging as the system can be charged at any time and at any state of charge: even a 15 minute break can prove helpful towards ensuring the entire eet is always ready to handle tra c. A single ba ery is assigned to a tractor and never needs to be exchanged, eliminating the need for ba ery storage and ba ery changing facilities. As one handler observed: We don t really think about ba eries any more. at is a big change from the hassle we had with lead-acid in the past. And as von Grolman explains, the idea Trendse er Qatar In 2014 Qatar Airlines became the rst ground handler worldwide to order 70 lithium polymer ba eries for its new ground handling eet at the airport. e advantages of lithium-ion over lead-acid ba eries are manifold but true progress within the sector has been stalled by cost. at situation is now improving, though 27

4 has been one of process simpli cation. As the results of the Qatar installation have become more widely known, so orders from Saudi Arabia, Swissport and Bangkok have followed. e Hong Kong experience During 2015 and 2016, Alan Blaylock from GSEL and Paul Feldbrugge from KLM KES conducted a full operational test of both lead-acid and Colibri lithium polymer traction ba eries in baggage tractors at Hong Kong International airport. e trial included unrestricted operational use within the baggage tractor eet of Jardine Airline Terminal Services (and as such, any conclusions drawn are speci c to this end-user). Paul Feldbrugge is General Manager, KLM Equipment Services, Hong Kong: e lithium technology from Colibri was impressive. During an endurance trial we were able to see the functional bene ts in an electric tractor by reducing the charging time and expanding the operational usage time. e ba ery did not su er from overheating like a normal lead-acid ba ery tends to do on warm days here in Hong Kong. e reduced weight also seems a positive but actually the ba ery was too light, according to the tractor minimum weight speci cations. In future, GSE manufacturers and ba ery suppliers should work closely together to get an optimal t. e test results allowed a detailed comparison (including charging time, operational time, equalisation requirements, maintenance requirements, consumables and the like) to be made between the two types of ba ery systems, with a view to determining the overall TCO. Any TCO comparison between lithium and lead-acid needs to include a likely useful lifespan: for lithium, however, no historical data exists. For the purposes of this report, then, the lead-acid projected lifespan was taken from the published CEI test results as 1,500 charging cycles, at which point capacity drop-o should not have exceeded 80% of the original rating. e typical lead-acid ba ery selected for comparison purposes was a FAAM model 4 M725, with a nominal ve hour capacity rating at 30ºC of 580Ah. e chargers used in the JATS charging facility delivered a capped charging current of 100 Amperes and a manufacturer s projected lifespan of 1,500 charging cycles. Additionally, according to manufacturer s advice, the electrolyte temperature of the ba ery was not to be allowed to exceed 50 C. Lithium ba eries at a glance e calculated life for 275Ah lithium is 7.67 years compared with 620Ah for lead-acid and 4.37 years Lithium power consumption is half that of lead-acid Lithium has 1.8 times Total Availability compared to lead-acid Lithium requires no maintenance, no TLD was one of two manufacturers who o ered vehicles as testbeds for Colibri s advanced technology. Along with Charla e, it found the solution perfectly workable Colibri was invited with a capacity of 275Ah. is unit has a recommended charge intensity of 160 Amperes (maximum charge current) and a manufacturer s projected lifespan ranging from 5,000 charging cycles. e selected test unit was a Charla e T135 electric drive tractor, ed with a GPS tracking system to match location with the information extracted from the Colibri data logger. A subsequent report, running to 129 pages, showed that the annual baggage tractor ba ery cost for Jardine s baggage tractor eet could immediately be reduced by a minimum of 29%, while the CAPEX for lead-acid ba ery replacement could be eliminated by switching from lead-acid to lithium-powered baggage tractors. Additional savings potential balancing, no charging and no watering e higher lithium purchase price is compensated by a three to four times higher lead-acid operating cost Lithium gives ve times higher e ciency: a longer time between charges and lower charging time equates to a potential GSE eet reduction was thought possible through releasing space at the airport and the potential pooling of GSE assets. is la er concept is perfectly feasible, with partners charged according to their actual usage. Financial advantages Both Doha and Hong Kong airports have illustrated that lithium ba eries could save up to 50% in annual operating costs. Although both airports have hot and humid climates which tend to punish lead-acid ba eries and therefore drive up costs, Colibri s solution delivered many bene ts, like fast charging, be er charging e ciency and no maintenance. e charge for maintenance facilities is an issue for many customers. Costs for distilled 28 FEBRUARY-MARCH 2017 RAMP EQUIPMENT NEWS

5 water production and storage, waste water disposal (from ba ery wash down, which contains acid), exhaust system installation (to extract poisonous gases in charging rooms) and space for changing stations are not well understood - nor accounted for. Once they are calculated and can be eliminated as costs, business cases become even more compelling. In summary e foregoing suggests that lithium polymer technology can be considered amongst the best technology available today for electric GSE. It has proven reliability on a large scale, round-the-clock operation and has demonstrated economic bene ts over the lead-acid alternative. Faster charging times, a longer life and zero maintenance equate to the lowest cost of operation today. By saving money on multiple levels, ba ery, equipment, eet and airport, lithium-powered ground equipment opens the door to the next level of ground handling e ciency improvements. Finally, the leasing facility means that customers can enjoy exible nancing options that meet their needs to optimise CAPEX and OPEX. Frankfurt airport loses weight In August 2016, Colibri Energy delivered to Frankfurt airport a fully integrated lithium traction system as well as an on-board charging system for a Trepel cargo loader. Because of the high energy density and compact design of Colibri Energy s lithium ba ery pack, an on-board charging system Performance data at a glance: part of the Colibri solution o ers quick checks on GSE was installed in the same space as was previously taken by a lead-acid ba ery. combined lithium ba ery and charging system is more than two tonnes lighter than the previous lead-acid system, removing unnecessary weight from the cargo li er s suspension and drive components. e 29