Textron GSE Talks Electrified Ground Support at GSE Expo 2025
Key Highlights
- Textron GSE is focusing on electrification, highlighting products like the Endurance high-voltage tractor and electrified deicers at GSE Expo 2025.
- The Endurance tractor now features automotive-style charging compatible with standard 80-volt systems, addressing ramp infrastructure limitations.
- The Safeaero 220E deicer has been electrified to match diesel performance, allowing a full day of operation on a single charge and enabling single-operator de-icing.
Textron GSE is highlighting its electrified GSE at the 2025 International GSE Expo.
Jenny Lescohier, editor of Ground Support Worldwide, spoke with Vice President and General Manager of Textron GSE Morgan Gresens about what the company is showcasing at GSE Expo 2025.
On the significance of electrification in ground support, Gresens stated, “Electrification and sustainability is obviously very important. That can only go as fast as the infrastructure becomes available, in some cases.”
She continued, “One thing that we've been really prioritizing is making sure our products are designed knowing that they may have to be refurbished at some point or may need to be converted from a gas or diesel powertrain over to electric.”
What’s new with the Endurance high-voltage tractor
On what to expect from Textron GSE at this year’s expo, Gresens said, “What you'll see from us at the GSE Expo is a real focus on our electrification of our product lineup. We unveiled the Endurance a couple years ago. That's a high-voltage baggage and light duty cargo tractor.”
She continued, “Our newest development there is that it's charged through an automotive-style charging. We’ve created the ability to charge it through standard 80-volt system. There's an adapter that can be purchased with that or that can come with that product for customers who want to buy the Endurance but don't have the charging infrastructure.”
“For us, that was taking feedback from our customers that the infrastructure on the ramp and the GSE shops is not necessarily where they need it to be yet, from a high voltage standpoint, but the customers like the product, so we've now given them a way to charge it.”
How the Safeaero 220E Deicer is getting electrified
Gresens also explained the electrification of the company’s deicer.
She said, “We'll also be displaying our Safeaero 220E that we unveiled this last year. This is taking our 220 product and electrifying it, and it has been out on demo with many customers.”
Gresens described the opportunity to view the 220E in action at the event’s outdoor Demo Zone. She noted, “It's going to a demo after the event here, so we'll actually have that in the demo area, so customers can go up in the de ICER, and while you can't really spray anything, you can go pretty high up and see kind of how that functionality works.”
“We're most proud that our vehicle can run just like a diesel-powered unit,” added Gresens, “It can withstand a full day of de-icing before it has to be charged again. It's a true single operator deicer, meaning you drive it and de-ice from the cabin. What we've done is we've kind of continued to invest in that technology, invest in upgrading it and now we've electrified it.”
How the TMD 330 answers demand for electrified GSE
Giving insight into another new product in the company’s electrified GSE line, Gresens shared, “The other new product that we'll have at the show—that is in use but very new for us—is our TMD 330 which is an air start unit at a 330ppm.”
Gresens continued, “This was developed with a customer who needed more power than what our 270 could offer but not quite as much as a 400. So, we developed this product, and it's met kind of a sweet spot in the industry.”
How Textron GSE’s electrification efforts compete in the market
When asked what the competitive landscape for electric GSE is like and how Textron measures up, Gresens mentioned that this differed based on product lines.
She shared, “Electric baggage tractors and belt loaders have been around for a very long time. Textron GSE, or formerly TUG, has built electric belt loaders and electric tractors for a long time. As the technology evolves, our focus has been evolving our product line with it.”
Gresens elaborated on the specific offerings that keep Textron GSE competitive, namely the exploration of new charging solutions.
“When we talk about having different charging adapters for our products, it's really important for our customers, so they don't have to worry about whether this type of equipment will charge at this area of the ramp,” she said.
Gresens added, “What you'll see in this industry is customers choosing their battery supplier, and that's a little bit unique…In this instance, customers often choose their battery, and then the charging companies are sort of their own entity, and they exist at the ramp.”
Speaking more on the competitive landscape represented at the 2025 International GSE Expo, Gresens noted, “I’m sure you’ll see at the show, there are many competitors who build electric baggage tractors and belt loaders. For us, our focus is making sure that the whole unit can evolve within the fleet of each customer.”
She continued, “There's a lot more in the way of electric pushbacks on more of the narrowbody aircraft, just because of the amount of power required to push back the narrow body aircraft is less than what you need for some of the widebody aircraft… And then on the deicing side, electrification is still relatively new, so there's only a couple of us, kind of participating in that.”
Gresens also emphasized how tariffs have impacted the industry, particularly companies pursuing electric GSE.
She said, “It's a global challenge. For us, we manufacture primarily in the US. We make one product in Sweden. The vast majority of our sourcing also takes place within the US. So, for our customers, we're able to keep the tariff impacts relatively minimal.”
Gresens continued, “We're certainly not free of them, but we try very hard to insource into the countries we manufacture. And then we're also looking within our European operation how we can expand and do things there for customers as they need. So, cost is always a challenge in this industry.”
