Two US airlines trialing 72V Flux Power lithium battery pack for electric aviation ground support equipment
13 May 2016
Flux Power Holdings, a developer of advanced lithium batteries for industrial applications including electric forklifts, delivered a custom-developed, 72-volt battery pack to power electric aviation ground support equipment (GSE), initially baggage/cargo tractors. Averest, a leading distributor of industrial batteries and chargers for aviation ground support equipment organized the pilot opportunity for Flux.
The trial highlights the scalability of Flux Power’s design and engineering capabilities as well as its proprietary battery management technology for a broad array of motive power applications. The performance and total cost of ownership benefits of lithium-ion technology over legacy lead-acid batteries, long the principal power source for electric aviation ground support equipment, was a principal motivator for the pilot.
The 8-week planned piloting period for Flux’s new “Aviation Pack” design will start this week at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Piloting is a necessary precursor to final design and feature considerations as well as the potential future larger scale deployment of Flux Aviation Packs by the airline customer. Immediately following this piloting period, the Aviation Pack will be piloted by a second national airline at their LAX location. Flux says it has also received an initial inquiry from a global aerospace company about pricing on Flux packs for ground support equipment.
Grand View Research, Inc. expects the global aircraft ground handling system market to reach annual sales of $526 million by 2022 up from $338 million in 2014. Growth over the forecast period is being driven by projected increases in global air traffic, and airlines are seeking ways to cost effectively scale their operations.
Flux Power develops and markets advanced lithium-ion energy storage systems based on its proprietary battery management system (BMS) and in-house engineering and product design. Products include advanced battery packs for motive power in the lift equipment, tug and tow and robotics markets, portable power for military applications and stationary power for grid storage.
Comments