There’s a new name in the specialised GSE battery charging segment: California, US-headquartered company Advanced Charging Technologies (ACT). ACT has been active in the forklift battery charging segment for about a decade now, but has just begun to offer a customised outdoor charger for operators of battery-powered GSE
The company’s pre-existing ACT Quantum industry appliance has been converted to the new Quantum GSE model, which offers specialised outdoor GSE battery charging. Quantum is designed to make a customer’s fleet work ‘smarter, not harder’. One of the units was on the stand at the International Airport Equipment Manufacturers’ Association (IEAMA) expo in Las Vegas.
The Quantum GSE battery charger is UL-certified (UL LLC is a US global safety consulting and certification company) and has a UL-certified Type 3R rugged outdoor design optimised for on-airport operations.
It features conventional, opportunity and fast charge capabilities all integrated into a single, modular design. ACT is targeting it towards fixed-base operator (FBO), regional, and non-hub maintenance and logistics companies.
“The introduction of the Quantum GSE charger represents another milestone in the Quantum product line,” declares ACT president Bob Istwan. “The new chargers will allow ACT to pursue new opportunities in the airport ground support equipment market segment.”
Quantum GSE is housed within a durable Type 3R cabinet and features modular technology, built-in redundancy, plug-n-play operation and scalability. It has a power rating of 6-12kW, with a battery voltage range of 24 to 80 Volts. It weighs up to 125lb, depending on the number of the unit’s power modules.
Key to its design is its modularity, says Matthew Watkins, director, dealer development for the company. If one of its power modules goes out of service, the rest will continue to work to provide effective charging power.
Furthermore, it offers a very respectable 93.5% cycle efficiency, Watkins says – ie, it converts 93.5% of the power input into the Quantum unit to the batteries that it charges. Working at peak efficiency, it offers a full-cycle efficiency of 94%.
It can charge lithium-ion, lead acid or gel batteries: “The full range,” he notes.
Intelligent operation
ACT offers what it describes as an intelligent battery monitoring system called the BATTview battery monitor with which the charger can communicate. This captures battery utilisation and performance data.
And one of the unique features of the new ACT product is the integrated wireless communication that supports Quantum GSE and which allows for real-time data to be automatically uploaded to the company’s own cloud-based data management platform, ACTintelligent.
ACTintelligent is maintained by ACT but can be accessed by its GSE operator customers, and shows not only what batteries are being charged at any given moment, but the various exact details of the charges taking place. It offers real-time visibility of all charging under way by ACT chargers of the customer’s batteries, and is unique in its comprehensive nature, Watkins emphasises.
The Wi-Fi connectivity offered with Quantum GSE enables automated data uploads with real-time analytics and reports accessible from anywhere at anytime, and from any device.
Commands can be issued remotely to start and stop charge cycles, or to programme optimal charge and equalisation cycles. Issues can be identified remotely and automated alerts sent.
As a result, end users can remotely manage their charger assets, analyse relevant operational data, optimise battery and fleet performance, generate performance reports and troubleshoot charger issues.
Finally, because it is wirelessly integrated into the cloud, remote firmware and software updates can be sent to add new functionalities to Quantum GSE chargers as they become available. n
