UQM Technologies to supply PowerPhase HD220 motor/controller to Kalmar for electric airplane tugs
26 January 2016
UQM Technologies announced today that Kalmar Motor AB in Sweden has successfully passed vehicle trials with major airlines and plans on beginning production orders by mid-2016 using the PowerPhase HD220, UQM’s heavy-duty commercial traction electric motor/controller system, for their TBL50 airplane tugs.
The PowerPhase HD220 delivers 700 N·m peak torque and 220 kW peak, 120 kW continuous motor power.
Ground handling tugs play a vital role at airports by enabling large aircraft to be moved from their hangars to the passenger gate, as well as for pushback and other taxiing functions on the runway.
Kalmar Motor is now developing a new generation of tugs that will enable airports to cut their use of diesel-driven tractors to address growing demands for reduced environmental emissions.
The UQM control software allows us the versatility we need for these demanding vehicles, and their electric motor systems offer the best power density, performance and efficiency we have seen in the industry. This makes UQM ideally suited for rigorous aircraft towing applications that require as little downtime as possible.
—Magnus Johansson, Sales Director of Kalmar
Many Capstone turbines could supply reliable power for airports always and the exhaust could be used to heat large boilers full of very hot water at each gate and very cheap steam powered tugs could fill up large tanks with hot water between planes and pull and push the planes into position at much lower cost and CO2 release.
Emergency steam turbine generators could also use the steam for large bursts of emergency power for a few minutes to prevent blackouts. ..HG..
Posted by: Henry Gibson | 26 January 2016 at 04:53 PM