Colibri Control

Turning real-time battery telemetry into full operational visibility for airport ground fleets.

The Client

Colibri Energy is a German startup that manufactures lithium-ion batteries for airport ground-service vehicles. Alongside their batteries, they ship telemetry units that stream real-time performance data from vehicles operating on tarmacs around the world.

The Challenge

While fleet operators at major airports had basic fleet management systems, none integrated real-time battery telemetry data like state of charge, current draw, or performance metrics. This left critical gaps in visibility — operators couldn't predict battery failures, optimize charging schedules, or access detailed diagnostics when issues arose. Delayed flights could cost tens of thousands, yet operators lacked the granular data needed to prevent battery-related disruptions.

Colibri saw a strategic opportunity: pair their hardware with a modern software platform — improving customer retention, opening a new recurring revenue stream, and giving their product a competitive edge.

The Solution

We built Colibri Control, a full-stack fleet operations platform layered directly on top of Colibri's battery hardware. It delivers:

  • Real-time map of vehicle activity across airport grounds
  • Centralized service case management with full diagnostic history
  • Configurable real-time alerts for both Colibri personnel and ground operators
  • Operations, usage, and compliance dashboards for all stakeholders

The system processes hundreds of millions of telemetry points per day, providing live insights for everyone from the fleet manager to the CFO.

"Polybius helped us transform our raw telemetry data into a valuable, customer-facing product that now plays a central role in our offering. They executed quickly, managed the build independently, and delivered a robust solution that our customers actively rely on."

Helmuth Grolman

CEO, Colibri Energy

Under the Hood

The platform is built for scale, reliability, and global deployment:

Backend & Analytics

Python backend on ECS for streaming + analytics

Database

PostgreSQL for structured data

Frontend

Angular frontend, optimized for tablet and desktop

IoT Infrastructure

AWS IoT Core for direct telemetry ingestion

Everything from ingestion to analysis was built from scratch — including the database, processing pipeline, frontend, and predictive tooling.

Strategic Impact

Colibri Control enables Colibri to sell not just batteries, but a complete hardware + software fleet intelligence platform. It makes their core product more valuable, gives operators real-time control, and positions Colibri as a premium offering in a competitive market.

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