American Airlines has contracted the management of batteries and chargers used by its London Heathrow fleet of 22 electric vehicles used for baggage handling to Powercell Industrial Battery Engineers Ltd. The airline’s electric vehicle fleet operates out of Heathrow Terminal Three and is primarily used for delivery and offloading of baggage to and from the aircraft. It’s an intensive operation running from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. with more than 20 flights a day to handle. “Powercell provided a solution that not only came in at the lowest cost but was the one that we felt was best for our operation,” says Mathew Habermel, automotive crew chief at American Airlines. Powercell’s solution was to buy the batteries from American and then lease the batteries back to them with a full maintenance agreement that includes weekly checking and topping up of the battery electrolyte levels and any required replacements. “By leasing the batteries we save the capital expenditure and over a five year period it provides us with a considerable cost saving,” explains Mathew. In addition to the financial benefits, outsourcing battery management to Powercell frees up American’s automotive maintenance staff at Heathrow.