Electrify more gates without new power infrastructure using EcoGate and IPM

Most airports want more electric GSE at the gate. Most also cannot pull a new feeder to every stand. EcoGate is ITW GSE’s answer: not a single product, but a design approach where GPUs, PCA, chargers, and cable/hose systems work as one coordinated system — electrification, power sharing, data sharing, and technical synergy.

The central trick is unused headroom. GPUs, PCAs, and similar units are sized for peak load, so they typically run with 30–50% surplus capacity (ITW has also cited 35–50%). Intelligent Power Management (IPM), hosted on the 3500 PCA, lets you set a maximum current from the airport supply and allocate power dynamically without exceeding that cap.

How IPM keeps the GPU first

In an EcoGate gate, the 2400 GPU or 2400 Power Coil always takes priority. The 3500 PCA watches total consumption and turns its own load down so aircraft power is never starved. If the Power Coil spikes, IPM temporarily borrows from the PCA. The stand’s total capacity is never exceeded — that is a subtle but important difference from daisy-chaining equipment and hoping the breaker holds.

• Operate within existing grid capacity; reduce overload and fuse-trip risk
• Add or upgrade gate equipment without costly new power infrastructure
• Charge 7400 eGPUs from surplus GPU/PCA capacity via Power Share or a DC charger
• Raise the IPM current limit later if the airport upgrades the feeder — no hardware swap
• Works on existing Code C–E gates and on new MARS / Code F planning

What EcoGate is — and is not

EcoGate is not a black-box controller you drop on the roof. It is the 3500 PCA with IPM and Automated Aircraft Type Detection, the 2400 GPU / Power Coil / cable retriever, SuperHose AirTight and KinkFree hoses (ITW cites 40% less air leakage), the 3500 Air Coil, Power Share, and DC chargers (one or two 60 kW CCS outlets). You start with the constraint that hurts most — limited gate power, charging bottlenecks, or remote-stand coverage — and scale gate by gate.

Do you need a substation upgrade to start?

Not necessarily. EcoGate is built to use capacity you already paid for. Aircraft demand stays first; non-essential loads (including GSE charging) drop off when the gate is tight and come back when it is not. That is how you electrify contact gates and remote stands without duplicating infrastructure.

Browse our ground power units and pre-conditioned air, or contact True North GSE to map EcoGate against a real stand’s available amps.