ITW GSE and the green GPU

While the post-lockdown upturn in air travel has been nothing short of remarkable, airports and the companies that operate within them remain under pressure. Having overcome the pandemic-driven airport closures, not only do they have ambitious emissions targets to meet, but they must do so with fewer resources, whether staff, finances or space.

ITW GSE is on a mission to meet these needs. Leading the charge – no pun intended – is the global firm’s electric ground power unit (GPU). Airports International asked Jonathan Gibbons about the product, and the company behind it.

What’s special about your eGPU?

It was the first on the market and is now in its second generation. We created it by combining our own convertor based on ITW GSE’s proven 2400 technology with the Nissan battery. Admittedly, there are a lot of questions around the safety of lithium-ion batteries, but if Nissan didn’t consider them safe, it wouldn’t use them in cars. The batteries are manufactured in the UK and France.

The eGPU can be configured according to the customer’s needs. It is also available in a number of variations, from the 28VDC JetEx for turboprops to the 90kVA for narrowbody aircraft and the 180kVA for widebody aircraft.

We’ve also got a lockable towbar. This is magnetically operated and you can't bring the towbar down unless the cables are safely stored inside and both side panels are closed. If either of those side panels are open, then the towbar won't come down, so you can't tow it away. That is a quite an issue with ground handling, where a ground power diesel unit, for example, can be towed away while still attached to an aircraft, potentially causing a great deal of damage. It's not an expensive piece of technology but it really improves safety.

An onboard charging system means that the unit can supply power and charge at the same time, charging from any 50/60HZ socket. It has an intuitive operation and an icon-based user interface used across all ITW GSE equipment. The eGPU also features ITW Connect, which is software that can monitor a whole fleet, providing updates on usage and maintenance needs. It is easily accessible online or via an app.

ITW GSE designed its GPUs so that maintenance and servicing can be carried out by operators. A diesel-operated GPU requires around £3,000 of maintenance a year, whereas an eGPU may only need a little grease or a wear-and-tear-type repair, such as changing a cable.

Cost remains a consideration, and our online calculator enables the customer to compare the respective costs of diesel and electric operations of a GPU.

Finally, our e-GPU is flexible. There are no emissions, so you can use it on the apron or even in a hangar. Nor is there any noise pollution, so it can be used within a stationary aircraft. A unit can be in use all day and charged overnight. With anywhere between eight and 12 turnarounds on a short-haul flight, an eGPU could service most stands for a full day. It can also be charged in quiet periods for use during capacity peaks.

What level of after-sales care does ITW GSE provide?

The support is outstanding. We have a service email address that goes straight to our after-sales team and support team, and we actively encourage our customers to go direct to them, rather than through us, the sales guys. It's a direct line of communication, rather than having borders muddied. The response times are phenomenal and because they are so knowledgeable, I've never seen a query or a problem that the team cannot answer.

How have regional differences affected the company culture?

It’s always a joy to go to the Danish manufacturing facility, because you don't ever see anybody grumpy! The culture at ITW GSE is very, very staff-oriented. It’s a case of ‘happy staff, productive staff’. Some years ago, the firm introduced ‘cultural lunch time’, where doors are locked, phones put on divert and everyone goes off to exercise. The reasoning is that, come midday, people are starting to tire, especially the production staff, who may have been there since six o'clock in the morning. So everyone exercises then sits together and eats, helping invigorate them for an afternoon of work. You could have the general manager sitting with somebody from production or research and development. There’s no division there. It’s a great company to work for, and I expect to see out my days at ITW GSE. Why would you leave somewhere where the whole ethos is based around the staff? Don’t get me wrong, we all have to work hard, but there's that fantastic work/life balance.

Why did you launch the eGPU in the UK and Ireland?

This is a big market, covering all major airports in the UK and several in Ireland. Not only are European airports leading the way in meeting ambitious net-zero targets, but the London airports in particular are dealing with significant space constraints, making this the ideal launch market for a product known for its flexibility and lack of emissions. We started out by providing a loan unit to BAE Systems (formerly British Aerospace) for use with its Typhoons. The management liked the eGPU so much that they wanted to keep it. There was a waiting list, but I managed to let them have it again six weeks later. We sold them 40 last year.

That loan unit has since toured the UK and has paid for itself many times over. The unit has been at Gatwick, Heathrow, Bristol (where it was used in a trial for full electrification of stands alongside other equipment), London City, Glasgow and Birmingham airports. It is currently at Norwich Airport. British Airways has trialled it, too, as have Jet2, Boeing and DHL (at East Midlands Airport).

The 7400 eGPU has proved very attractive to customers, not least because of its versatility. While especially popular in Europe, it has also sold well in the United States, the Middle East and Asia. The UK’s Cranfield University uses one to power its flying classroom, a Saab340B. Even the British Antarctic Survey uses an ITW GSE eGPU, at its Rothera Research Station.

What’s next?

Mark III of our eGPU is at the design review stage. It’s still under wraps, but what I can tell you is that it will feature the AC Type 2 charger, something that DHL, for instance, has requested. This is a good illustration of what we call ‘customer back innovation’, where we sit down and talk to our customers to gain a better understanding of their plans and figure out how we can support them. R&D, manufacturing knowhow and close working relationships are how we at ITW GSE continue to deliver the cleanest, most reliable and most cost-efficient systems on the market. 

Further reading: Charging made easy

According to ITW GSE, one of the major challenges in the rollout of eGSE is that there is no global standard when it comes to charging. This means that, even within a single airport, different eGSE models may require different chargers. Hence the development of new charging options for the ITW GSE 7400 eGPU, to allow airports to streamline their eGSE and EV charging infrastructure.

The ITW GSE Power Share enables users to allocate excess power from their 2400 GPU to eGPUs and other AC units. The Power Share is a smart outlet box that can be integrated in a fixed GPU or remotely installed for a Power Coil or PCA. The Power Share will always prioritise supplying the available power to the GPU/PCA over other connected equipment, which is simply disconnected. The disconnected equipment will automatically be reconnected when power becomes available.

ITW GSE will showcase its DC Charger at GSE Expo 2024 in Lisbon on September 17-19. It has been designed as a charger for high-voltage eGSE, featuring two 60kW outlets. The unit can be connected to an ITW GSE 2400 GPU, which will control how much power the charger has available. As a result, no upgrades or new infrastructure are called for.