Electric Ground Support Equipment (eGSE) are transforming airport operations and sustainability, but they can only succeed with strong infrastructure planning. For airports, especially busy hubs in Southeast Asia like Singapore’s Changi, the charging infrastructure is as critical as the electric vehicles themselves. In fact, a lack of adequate charging stations is often cited as a top reason some airports hesitate to invest in eGSE.
Day 3 of our 5-day series on eGSE explains why careful infrastructure planning is vital, examines common challenges (from power capacity to downtime management), and explores how Southeast Asian airports are charging ahead with innovative solutions and partnerships.
Why Infrastructure Planning Is Crucial for eGSE Success
Planning charging infrastructure is mission-critical to eGSE adoption. Shifting from diesel to electric GSE isn’t simply about buying new equipment – it requires ensuring the airport’s grid can reliably power that equipment day in and day out. Airports must integrate charging needs from the earliest project design stages.
That means working with utility providers, assessing current electrical capacity, and strategically laying out chargers where they’re needed most. Without this foresight, even the best eGSE fleet could falter due to insufficient power or inaccessible chargers.
Importantly, infrastructure planning isn’t just an engineering task; it’s a coordination effort across airport stakeholders. Planners need to know ground handling routines, peak traffic times, and staff workflows to position chargers for convenience.
If chargers are too far or too few, eGSE could spend precious time trekking across the apron to recharge, undermining the efficiency gains. Proper planning aligns the new electrical needs with airport operations so that electrification enhances efficiency rather than hindering it.
Common Infrastructure Challenges and Solutions
Airports face several infrastructure challenges when rolling out eGSE charging. Below we detail the most common hurdles – and how the industry is addressing them,
- Electrical Capacity Constraints: Many airports’ existing power systems were never built for dozens of fast-charging vehicles. Upgrading transformers, substations, and distribution networks is often necessary to handle the high load of multiple GSE chargers running at once.
This can be a costly, complex undertaking. Some airports mitigate peak demand by integrating microgrids and energy storage. For example, installing on-site battery banks or solar panels can provide backup power and shave peak loads.
Microgrids enable sections of the airport to run independently if needed, ensuring chargers stay online even during grid disturbances. These innovations improve resilience and reduce the risk that charging a fleet of baggage tugs might trip a breaker.
- Charger Placement & Layout: Deciding where to put charging stations is a strategic puzzle. Chargers must be accessible to GSE vehicles but not create congestion on the apron. Airports are exploring centralized charging hubs versus distributed spots. A centralized eGSE charging bay can service multiple vehicles efficiently in one area, while freeing up space elsewhere.
On the other hand, dispersed chargers closer to gates minimize driving distance. Some are deploying mobile charging units – essentially portable battery packs or charger trucks that can be moved to where they’re needed. This flexibility supports dynamic operations, especially useful during peak hours or if certain gates lack fixed chargers.
No matter the approach, careful layout planning ensures eGSE can top up without blocking aircraft or service roads. As Brisbane Airport discovered, even finding physical space for charger bays can be challenging, requiring coordination with airfield and terminal teams to repurpose apron space. - Cost and Funding: Building eGSE infrastructure requires significant capital investment. From heavy-duty electrical works to purchasing advanced chargers, the upfront costs can be steep. Airports are tackling this by pursuing phased implementations and partnerships.
A phased approach might start with a pilot program – installing a handful of chargers to test technology and gather data before scaling up.This not only spreads out costs but also helps avoid expensive mistakes by learning on a small scale first.
Public-private partnerships are also key: airports are tapping government grants, green financing (like bonds), and vendor collaborations to offset costs.
In the U.S. and EU, for instance, grant programs fund charging infrastructure and eGSE purchases. In Southeast Asia, similar partnerships are emerging as governments push for lower emissions. By combining resources and sharing risk, stakeholders can overcome the financial hurdle.
- Charger Access & Utilization: Even if enough chargers exist, they must be readily accessible and efficiently used. Airports often have multiple ground handling companies and airlines working side by side. Common-use charging stations have proven effective – instead of each company installing its own chargers (which wastes space and money), airports provide shared charging points for all to use.
Singapore’s Changi Airport pioneered this approach, installing 26 common-use charger points for electric baggage tractors. This eliminated the need for each ground handler to buy dedicated chargers, cutting duplication of infrastructure and saving valuable apron space. The common-use model also encourages maximum utilization of each station.
Smart scheduling systems can queue vehicles and prioritize charging based on need or upcoming flights, ensuring the most critical equipment is always ready. Overall, shared infrastructure with intelligent management prevents chargers from sitting idle under one operator while another operator’s eGSE waits in line.
- Software Integration & Energy Management: Successful eGSE operations rely on software as much as hardware. Airports are deploying smart charging management systems to optimize energy use. These systems can stagger charging times (avoiding all vehicles charging simultaneously at peak power), monitor the state-of-charge of each GSE battery, and even adjust charging speed to balance load.
Integration with flight schedules and GSE telematics is the next step – for example, if a flight delay gives extra time, a smart system might delay charging a certain vehicle until off-peak hours. Advanced platforms can provide real-time data on power consumption and send alerts for any faults or anomalies.
By tying charger networks into the airport’s broader energy management, operators gain visibility and control to minimize downtime and energy waste. Singapore’s Changi has noted the need for coordinated EV infrastructure and electrical distribution management to ensure reliable operations as hundreds of airside charging stations come online.
In short, software optimization is vital to make the most of limited electrical capacity and to keep eGSE ready without disrupting airport power.
- Operational Downtime: A chief concern for ground handlers is that charging must not interfere with the quick turnarounds that airports demand. If an electric baggage tractor is stuck at a charger when a flight’s bags need unloading, the benefits of electrification evaporate. Downtime management strategies are therefore crucial.
This involves selecting eGSE models with sufficient battery capacity to handle full shifts, and scheduling charging during off-peak periods or crew breaks. Some smaller eGSE (like airport baggage cart tuggers) can now run an entire shift on one charge, meaning they only need to charge overnight or between shifts – thus no impact on flight turnaround times.
For larger equipment that might need midday charging, operators use rotation plans: while one unit charges, a spare unit fills in, or tasks are sequenced so that charging aligns with natural idle times (e.g. meal breaks). Additionally, fast chargers (high-voltage DC chargers) can top-up vehicles quickly if a boost is needed between flights.
The goal is a charging routine that is virtually invisible to airline operations. As technology improves battery range and charging speed, this challenge is easing, but meticulous planning today ensures that going electric doesn’t mean slowing down.
Southeast Asia’s Approach – Charging Infrastructure in Focus
Southeast Asian aviation hubs are taking proactive steps to enable eGSE adoption, with Singapore leading by example. Singapore’s Changi Airport has set ambitious targets and backed them with infrastructure development. The Singapore government announced that all new airside vehicles – including baggage tractors, forklifts, and other GSE – must be electric from 2025 onward.
The aim is for 100% of Changi’s airside vehicle fleet to run on cleaner energy by 2040, essentially phasing out diesel equipment over the next two decades. To support this transition, Changi is enhancing its airside charging infrastructure “in tandem with the needs of airport partners”. In practice, this means working closely with airlines, ground handlers, and even the national power grid to ensure charging capacity grows along with the electric fleet.
Changi Airport’s early eGSE projects offer a glimpse of what effective infrastructure planning looks like. As of 2020, Changi had already deployed 80 electric baggage tractors and installed 26 charging stations for them. Those chargers are shared among ground handling firms (the common-use model mentioned earlier), which reduced costs and space requirements while encouraging all handlers to try electric GSE.
The result: significant carbon savings (over 600 tonnes CO₂ cut annually by those e-tractors) and even one terminal’s baggage fleet becoming fully electric. Building on that success, Changi plans to convert most remaining diesel GSE to electric by 2030. This phased approach – pilot, prove, then expand – has been enabled by steady infrastructure upgrades and knowledge-sharing across stakeholders.
Other airports in the region are following suit. Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), for instance, has introduced a large-scale GSE pooling scheme and is rapidly electrifying its ground fleet. As part of its drive to net zero emissions, HKIA is doubling the number of airside charging stations and aims to electrify all major GSE (tugs, loaders, stairs) by 2030.
By 2021, only about 20% of HKIA’s ground service equipment was electric, but aggressive efforts are underway to flip that majority, supported by funding for new technologies and a Green Innovation Fund for trials. Hong Kong’s model emphasizes airport-owned infrastructure and equipment pooling – the Airport Authority procured over 250 electric GSE units (95% of which are electric) that are shared among ground handlers, ensuring even smaller handlers can access eGSE without huge upfront investments.
This kind of centralised, airport-led approach mirrors Singapore’s common-use philosophy: it accelerates adoption by removing duplication and guaranteeing that infrastructure is in place for anyone ready to go electric.
Elsewhere in Southeast Asia, Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport integrated electrified GSE systems into its new Midfield Satellite Terminal. The project included installing dozens of fixed electrical Ground Power Units (GPUs) and Pre-Conditioned Air units at gates, eliminating the need for diesel GPUs on the apron. By powering aircraft on the gate with grid electricity (or battery GPUs) instead of diesel engines, Bangkok greatly cut emissions – an estimated 90,000 metric tons of CO₂ annually from that terminal alone.
This showcases how infrastructure investment (in this case, fixed electrical installations) yields massive sustainability payoffs. It also underlines the importance of working with energy providers: such large power draws require close coordination with the electrical grid and often on-site generation (Bangkok’s system can be supplemented by Thailand’s grid capacity and potentially airport solar in the future). We see a pattern of public-private collaboration here – governments setting green mandates, airport authorities funding infrastructure, and tech companies supplying the solutions.
Australia’s Brisbane Airport, while just outside Southeast Asia, offers a relevant case study in the Asia-Pacific context. In 2024 Brisbane became the first Australian airport to install a common-use GSE charging network on its airside ramp, starting with 35 chargers to support electric baggage tugs and carts. They partnered with a charging technology firm (ACT) and an equipment supplier to tailor a solution to the airport’s needs.
An interesting insight from Brisbane was the need for data and monitoring: their system identifies each piece of GSE that plugs in, tracking when, where, and how much it charges. These data help optimize charger placement and usage over time. Brisbane also focused on smaller GSE first (which can easily run full shifts on one charge) and planned to expand chargers as larger electric GSE become available.
The project required careful planning to carve out space for charging bays, but strong collaboration with ground handlers made it possible. Brisbane’s experience underscores themes common in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Bangkok as well: start early, start small, bring partners on board, and build for expansion.
Collaboration, Smart Grids, and Future-Proof Solutions
To overcome eGSE adoption challenges, public-private collaboration and innovation go hand in hand. Airports alone cannot shoulder the entire burden of electrification – partnerships with government agencies, utility companies, and equipment manufacturers are proving essential.
Government policies (like grant programs or fuel taxes) can make electrification more attractive financially, while utilities can assist in upgrading grid connections or offering special energy tariffs for off-peak charging. For example, collaboration with a power company might allow an airport to install a new substation or tap into renewable energy sources nearby.
Some airports are even exploring on-site renewable energy: solar panels on terminal roofs or nearby land can directly power EV chargers, reducing strain on the main grid and ensuring a greener energy supply for eGSE. Energy partnerships also extend to smart grid integration. As airports electrify, they effectively become mini “cities” of electricity demand, and managing this intelligently is key. Smart grid technologies (advanced metering, load balancing, demand response) can let an airport adjust its charging activity in response to grid conditions.
For instance, if the national grid is strained on a hot afternoon, an airport’s smart system could temporarily slow down GSE charging to avoid blackouts – all while ensuring critical vehicles still get charged in time. Conversely, if the airport has its own solar farm or wind supply, a smart system can prioritize using that clean energy for charging whenever it’s available.
Microgrids are emerging as a forward-looking solution in this arena: by setting up a microgrid, an airport can isolate and control its power network (including GSE chargers) and even disconnect from the main grid during emergencies. This not only improves reliability (keeping flights on schedule even if the city grid has issues) but also allows integration of battery storage that can charge when renewable power is abundant and discharge when needed.
Another area of innovation is modular and mobile charging. Modular charging units – like mobile battery carts or quick-deploy charger pods – offer flexibility for airports still ramping up electrification. Instead of building permanent infrastructure everywhere, an airport can start with a few mobile chargers that serve multiple zones. If a particular gate sees increased eGSE use, a mobile unit can be relocated there.
These also act as stopgaps during infrastructure upgrades or if an installed charger goes down for maintenance. Equipment makers are responding with creative solutions: one GSE manufacturer introduced a “Power Share” device that lets an existing ground power unit (used to power aircraft systems at the gate) double as a charger for eGSE using its spare capacity.
Such innovations maximize use of what’s already installed, delaying the need for costly electrical upgrades. Over time, as standards evolve, we may also see universal charging standards for GSE (currently, different eGSE may need different chargers, which is a headache). Industry collaboration is pushing for interoperable systems so airports can invest confidently in infrastructure that will charge any brand of equipment.
Looking ahead, it’s clear that infrastructure planning for eGSE is an ongoing journey, not a one-time project. As battery technology improves and new electric equipment (like large pushback tugs or catering trucks) become available, airports will continually adapt their power and charging systems. The encouraging news is that early adopters are creating a playbook for others to follow.
Their successes – and lessons learned from setbacks – provide a valuable knowledge base. Continued collaboration through industry groups and conferences (for example, sharing results of pilot programs or standardizing charger connectors) will accelerate progress across all airports. In the end, the transition to electric ground support equipment is a cornerstone of aviation’s broader sustainability goals.
With thoughtful infrastructure development, robust partnerships, and an eye on future technologies, airports can overcome the adoption challenges and reap the benefits of eGSE: lower emissions, quieter ramps, and more efficient operations. The airports in Southeast Asia and beyond that are “charging ahead” today are lighting the way for a greener, electrified future of ground handling.
