Southwest Airlines Goes Electric with Lead Batteries for its Baggage Tractors and Belt Loaders

Despite the cost and environmental advantages of battery-powered ground support equipment, most baggage tractors and belt loaders in operation still rely on diesel power. Southwest Airlines, however, is moving quickly in the other direction. Living up to the “overall commitment to efficiency and the planet” cited in the company’s “triple bottom line approach,” the Dallas-based carrier is converting its fleet of baggage tractors and belt loaders from diesel power toward greener, more efficient electric-powered solutions.

Reflecting that initiative, Southwest Airlines recently embarked on an 18-month, multi-city trial of NexSys batteries from EnerSys. Featuring Thin Plate Pure Lead (TPPL) technology, NexSys batteries offered Southwest Airlines an option for going electric, but one without the drawbacks of flooded lead acid batteries.

read more about the TPPL technology and how it benefited Southwest airlines on aviationpros.com