Lufthansa LEOS, the ground handling services expert at Germany’s major airports, has been using the first eTug at Frankfurt Airport since 2016. The subsidiary of Lufthansa Technik has now put a second one into operation. During its construction, some improvement potentials were taken into account, which the company made on the basis of the operational experience with the first eTug – both with regard to the technical design of the vehicle and the ergonomics for the driver.
The 700 kW electric vehicle developed by the Swedish company Kalmar Motor AB arrived at Lufthansa LEOS in Frankfurt in the spring of this year. After the necessary upgrade work, such as the installation of radio and transponders, it is now in use at Frankfurt Airport.
The eTug ensures environmentally friendly maintenance and positioning towing as well as pushbacks of large passenger aircraft. It brings aircraft such as the Airbus A380 or the Boeing 747 purely electrically to their parking positions, to the hangar, to the gate or on the way using pushback and can move aircraft up to a maximum take-off weight of 600 tons. That’s 15 times his own weight.
By using the eTug, up to 75% of emissions can be saved compared to a conventional, diesel-powered aircraft tractor. The noise level of the eTug is also significantly lower.
