Flux Power Delivers Custom 72-Volt Battery Pack For Electric Aviation Ground Support
The industrial lithium-ion battery developer Flux Power Holdings has delivered a custom-developed 72-volt battery pack that will be utilized to electrify ground support equipment for two major airlines operating at LAX during a new pilot program, according to a new press release.
Initially, use of the new battery pack during the pilot will be limited to powering baggage/cargo tractors, but other uses are possible as well.
The industrial battery + charging system ground support equipment distributer Averest organized the pilot as a means of showcasing Flux Power’s product offerings. The pilot is intended to highlight the scalability of the company’s proprietary battery management technology and possible motive power applications in the sector.
The CEO of Flux Power, Ron Dutt, commented: “While Flux remains principally focused on executing on the commercial rollout of our LiFT Pack line of forklift batteries, we are also focusing on a handful of significant opportunities to leverage our design and technology expertise in other industrial applications. Electric ground support applications dovetail nicely with our work to develop larger and more powerful solutions. We are grateful to Averest and their clients for the opportunity to bring our next generation solutions to the aviation ground service equipment market.”
The press release provides more:
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 has also received an initial inquiry from a global aerospace company about pricing on Flux packs for ground support equipment.
Grand View Research 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.
Image via Flux Power
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