Electric catering highloaders can cost up to twice as much as comparable diesel models, according to DOLL Airport Equipment, and the manufacturer says acquisition premiums of that magnitude are only half of the equation airports and ground handlers must solve before committing to fleetwide electrification.

DOLL, which specializes in aircraft catering highloaders, is drawing on electric highloader pilot projects at airports worldwide to measure vehicle performance, energy consumption and — critically — the infrastructure each vehicle demands. The pilots have produced a split verdict: the vehicles work, but the charging arrangements supporting them often do not scale.

At Vienna Airport, DOLL installed a dedicated charging station for an electric highloader, routing a power cable over the roof of a building to reach the charging point. The setup functioned for a single vehicle. DOLL says such customized arrangements become difficult to replicate as electric fleets grow, and the workaround illustrates the gap between one-off demonstrations and fleet deployment.

Why does the ramp favor electrification?

The operating environment itself is well suited to battery-electric ground support equipment, argues Bruno Brandt, head of customer operations management at DOLL Airport Equipment.

"The ramp is particularly well suited to electric vehicles: Travel distances are short, speeds are low, and many vehicles regularly return to fixed locations where they can be charged," Brandt says.

Catering highloaders complicate that picture. Beyond propulsion and lifting, the vehicles must run refrigeration for cargo compartments continuously throughout their shifts, and they may cover longer distances between off-airport catering facilities and the ramp than typical GSE.

DOLL's pilot operations indicate the battery packs can handle the duty. Electric highloaders completed scheduled runs with refrigeration systems operating continuously, charging overnight and during scheduled operational breaks. DOLL recommends fleet operators analyze actual duty cycles, auxiliary power requirements and available charging windows before drafting phased electrification plans.

Who controls the power?

Infrastructure coordination poses a structural problem at most airports. Ground handlers, caterers and airlines own the equipment, but airport operators control the property and the electrical infrastructure underneath it. Electrification therefore requires cross-party agreement before a single charger is installed.

The load calculations compound as fleets expand.

"As the fleet grows, power demand and peak loads increase. This also raises the requirements for grid connections, cable routes, buildings, and permits," Brandt says.

DOLL also flags two operational prerequisites: maintenance personnel need preparation for high-voltage electrical systems, and operators should collect operating data continuously across pilot deployments rather than treating the trial as a pass-fail demonstration.

What about total cost of ownership?

The economics remain unresolved. Acquisition costs for electric highloaders can reach twice those of diesel equivalents, depending on configuration. DOLL's pilots have recorded lower operating costs, but the company concedes that longer-term data is needed to establish total cost of ownership across the equipment's full service life — the figure that determines whether the purchase premium pays back.

That is precisely what Brandt argues pilots should deliver beyond technical validation.

"A pilot project must do more than demonstrate that the vehicle works from a technical perspective," Brandt says. "It also provides valuable data for fleet planning."

DOLL's position is that successful fleetwide electrification depends on aligning vehicle procurement with charging infrastructure, maintenance capability and operational requirements — sequenced together, not vehicle-first and infrastructure-later.

The manufacturing side, Brandt suggests, is no longer the constraint.

"The vehicles are available. The task now is to integrate them effectively into airport operations," Brandt says.

For airports and handlers weighing orders, the near-term work is data collection: measuring real duty cycles and refrigeration loads, negotiating grid access and cable routing with airport operators, and building the maintenance base for high-voltage systems before the fleet — and the electricity bill — arrives.