For airlines, airports and ground handlers, the battery shouldn't be something they have to think about every day. Ground support equipment simply needs to be ready when the operation needs it.
Battery monitoring and telemetry help make that possible by giving operators greater visibility into battery condition, usage and performance.
In demanding airport environments, where GSE operates across intensive duty cycles and tight aircraft turnarounds, access to meaningful battery data can help engineering and fleet teams identify abnormal operating conditions, investigate potential issues and make better-informed decisions about charging, utilization and maintenance.
For GSE manufacturers, that same visibility can also support diagnostics, system integration and ongoing product support.
A Battery Management System (BMS) continually monitors key parameters within a lithium-ion battery system while also providing important protection and control functions.
Depending on the battery system and application, monitored information can include:
This provides much greater visibility into what is happening inside the battery.
Instead of relying solely on scheduled inspections or investigating a battery after an issue has occurred, engineering and service teams can use battery data to identify abnormal conditions or changes in performance that may warrant further investigation.
The information that matters most will vary by application.
An aircraft tug experiencing frequent high-power events, for example, may have a very different operating profile from a baggage tractor working repetitive shifts throughout the day. Understanding those differences is important when specifying both the battery system and the way its performance is monitored.
Monitoring provides information about what is happening inside the battery. Telemetry can take this further by making relevant battery information available remotely for analysis and fleet management.
For operators managing multiple pieces of electric GSE, this can transform the battery from an otherwise largely invisible component into a managed fleet asset.
Depending on the system architecture, telemetry can help teams compare battery usage across equipment, investigate abnormal operating behaviour and understand how different charging and utilization patterns affect battery performance.
Rather than asking only:
"Is the battery working?"
fleet managers can begin asking:
"How is it being used?"
"Is this vehicle being charged appropriately?"
"Why is this asset performing differently from the others?"
"How much usable battery capacity remains?"
"Are there operating trends we should investigate?"
That visibility becomes increasingly valuable as electric GSE fleets grow.
When GSE becomes unavailable during an aircraft turnaround, the battery is only one possible cause.
Access to battery data can help engineering teams establish more quickly whether an issue originates within the battery system or elsewhere in the equipment.
Monitoring changes in voltage, current, temperature, state of charge and recorded events can also provide useful diagnostic information when abnormal behaviour occurs.
Telemetry cannot prevent every failure, but better visibility gives engineering teams an opportunity to identify and investigate unusual operating conditions before they develop into more significant issues.
Over time, this can support a more proactive approach to battery maintenance and fleet management rather than relying solely on reactive troubleshooting.
Battery data isn't useful only when something goes wrong.
It can also provide valuable information about how electric GSE is actually being used.
Different equipment can have significantly different energy demands, operating hours and charging opportunities. An airport may operate aircraft tugs, baggage tractors, belt loaders, GPUs, passenger boarding equipment and service vehicles, each with different duty cycles.
Understanding those operating patterns can help fleet teams make better-informed decisions about charging strategy, equipment utilization and battery capacity.
For example, operators can investigate whether equipment is regularly returning with significant unused energy, whether particular assets are experiencing unusually demanding duty cycles, or whether charging behaviour differs between locations or shifts.
That insight can become increasingly important as operators scale from individual electric vehicles to larger electric GSE fleets.
Monitoring and telemetry can also provide important benefits for GSE manufacturers.
The battery is increasingly an integrated part of the vehicle rather than a standalone component. Battery data and communications therefore need to work effectively alongside vehicle controls, charging systems and other equipment.
A capable BMS can provide OEM engineering teams with access to operating data while supporting diagnostics, integration and communication with the wider vehicle.
This is why Lithion considers the BMS, communications and integration strategy as part of the battery system rather than as an afterthought.
Lithion works with GSE OEMs and fleet operators to provide both off-the-shelf and custom lithium-ion battery systems for new equipment and retrofit applications.
At the heart of our engineered battery systems is Lithion's proprietary XB Battery Management System.
Developed in-house, the XB BMS provides monitoring, protection, control, data logging and communications across battery systems ranging from low-voltage applications through high-voltage platforms.
Depending on the system configuration, the XB BMS can monitor parameters including state of charge, state of health, cell voltage, current and temperature while recording battery events and operating data.
Multiple communication protocols, including CANBus, Ethernet, RS485, Modbus TCP and CANopen, enable integration with GSE controls and telematics systems.
Our engineering and field application teams work with customers to consider these requirements alongside battery capacity, voltage, power demand, charging, thermal management and vehicle integration.
The objective isn't simply to provide more data.
It is to provide the right information to the right people, helping OEMs and fleet operators understand how their batteries are performing and supporting more effective management throughout the battery's operational life.
As GSE fleets electrify, battery management increasingly becomes a fleet-management consideration.
Lithion's approach brings together battery engineering, BMS technology, communications and application support to help customers build a more integrated battery strategy.
Whether the requirement is an off-the-shelf battery system, a custom pack or the electrification of existing equipment, monitoring and connectivity can provide the visibility needed to understand how those batteries are being used throughout their operational life.
The result is more than battery data.
It is better visibility into one of the most important assets powering an electric GSE fleet.