Airport Electric Vehicles: why will they only run with lithium batteries in the future?

Just like the automotive and logistics industries before it, the future of all ground support equipment is also set to convert to electricity

The decision to switch from conventional batteries to new lithium accumulators for airport electric vehicles was made due to the need to improve vehicles’ performance, while minimising maintenance costs and therefore increasing their flexibility of use.

The introduction of lithium technology and, in particular, Flash Battery lithium batteries, is a revolution for the entire Ground Equipment sector

Why will airports of the future only use lithium technology?

The global trend in the Ground Support Equipment (GSE) sector shows the need to improve the efficiency of modern equipment and ground support vehicles at airports all around the world.

In fact, various studies have shown how traditional diesel vehicles or ones with lead-acid batteries will soon be completely replaced in airports with electric vehicles powered by lithium batteries.

This switch is possible thanks to lithium battery technology

To understand the reasons for this change of direction, we need to understand how Flash Battery lithium batteries work and analyse the features that set them apart from conventional lithium accumulators.

First of all, it is important to remember that conventional batteries involve high maintenance and system costs. The routine maintenance needed to frequently top up the water and clean the oxide from the elements and terminals is one of the biggest costs.

But how long does it take to charge a Flash Battery lithium battery?

Our lithium battery packs guarantee a 50% charge in just 30 minutes and a complete charge in just 2 hours (balancing included).

Thanks to these features, the accumulator designed by the Flash Battery team lets you eliminate the long breaks usually required for charging, as the partial charging in Flash Battery products (opportunity charging) can be done during the operator’s breaks or when the airport is less busy.

It is obvious that similar technology allows for a considerable improvement in terms of the productivity and efficiency of its vehicles during peak use.

So, together, the fact that it doesn’t need any maintenance and the fast charging of the lithium battery mean it can run 24/7 and involve a relative increase in the entire fleet’s efficiency.

Comparison between Lead – Traditional Lithium – Flash Battery

Lead-acid batteries or standard lithium batteries do not have a remote-control system therefore, in case of anomalies and/or faults, it is not possible to avoid machine downtime

Another revolutionary aspect of Flash Battery lithium batteries is the remote control system which is not included in conventional lead-acid or normal lithium batteries. Thanks to a remote monitoring system, with Flash Battery, you know the condition of each individual battery at any time, preventing any faults and/or malfunctions and avoiding annoying machine downtime.

This invaluable constant monitoring is provided by a piece of software entirely made by Flash Battery, which receives, monitorsand analyses daily battery operating data. In the event of any faults or misuse by the user, it sends a warning to the Flash Battery Service Department. You can therefore prevent any faults even when the cause of the problem cannot be detected by the user.

This eliminates machine downtime costs and improves the efficiency of the airport itself as a whole.

Another aspect to consider, and which highlights the superiority of the lithium battery system designed by Flash Battery, involves the circumstances of its use. In fact, in extreme climate conditions, normal lithium batteries might not perform as well and you could therefore see a drop in efficiency in their vehicles.

While by using heating and cooling systems, Flash Battery ensures its batteries work properly in a wide range of climate conditions and in temperatures ranging from -30°C to +45°C. 

In fact, the capacity of our lithium batteries to manage their own temperature means their battery life is unaffected and guarantees maximum efficiency for the vehicle.

Charlatte Manutention chooses the battery of the future designed by Flash Batter

This collaboration began in early 2014, when Charlatte Manutention, one of the biggest manufacturers of electric vehicles in the world, decided to rely on Flash Battery technology for the production of its airport vehicles.

The first thing they needed was to eliminate the causes of machine downtime linked to the use of lead-acid batteries and to the continuous maintenance operations which they required.

Just like the automotive and logistics industries before it, the future of airport transport and airport electric vehicles is also therefore set to convert to electricity. Once again, Flash Battery lithium batteries will be a leading player in this green revolution and will help take a step forward towards greater sustainability.