The Phoenix E towbarless aircraft tractor from Goldhofer has successfully completed its test phase and is now ready for action on the airport apron.
The AST-2 towbarless tow tractor was originally unveiled at Inter Airport Europe 2019 and is the flagship product among Goldhofer’s towbarless aircraft tractors. It offers speeds up to 32km/h for maintenance tows and also offers some of the best versatility in its class, handling the full range of today’s aircrafts with a maximum take-off weight of 253 tonnes. The challenge for the Goldhofer engineering team in developing the battery-powered Phoenix E was to produce an electric version to match the existing diesel tractor.
The electric tow boasts the same range of performance in terms of tractive power, maneuverability and reliability. It also offers additional advantages, such as lower operating costs and longer maintenance cycles. Plus, a triple-circuit breaking system ensures excellent tracking performance and maximum travel safety at all times. The Phoenix E also comes with Godlhofer’s IonMaster technology – a high-performance electric drive concept that works with extremely efficient 700 V lithium-ion batteries, which have proven themselves in the application of electric buses, meeting the high standards of safety.
The vehicles can be easily charged at all standard AC and DC charging points with up to 150kW. Compared to diesel-powered vehicles, the system offers neormous energy savings, very high total vehicle efficiency, and noise emissions approaching zero. And like the diesel version, the Phoenix E satisfies the highest standards of safety, with premium components and a full range of service and maintenance tools.
