Just like electric aircraft tugs, a future hangs around for airports when it comes to ground handling, but uncertainties about their potential and limitations still exist. In this article, we wish to dispel the most popular misconceptions about electric aircraft tug, showing their real power to the aviation industry.

Myth #1

Limited Capacity

Power and performance is one of the most frequently believed misconceptions that the electric aircraft tugs do not hold the needed capacity and performance to handle aircraft of large size. Though history is on the side of the diesel tugs, all they had been powered with was the inefficient diesel motors. Modern electric tugs, on the other hand, have strong electric motors and superior traction control systems, which make them more efficient in towing aircraft of all kinds, including commercial planes. Through the use of electric tugs, which can deliver the torque of motors, these machines are ready to show their strengths and their minimal noise and emissions to leave a positive impact on the environment.

Myth #2

High Maintenance

Those Expensive Maintenance was thought To Be Another Myth For Tugs Which Were Electric Powered Because They Would Be Way More Expensive to Maintained Than The Conventional Counterparts. There are significantly fewer accessories and the operation is employed by the drivetrain which depicts the advantages of this type of design, as the maintenance costs are lower and the operating costs are that profile of the electric tugging system. What’s more, there has been improved battery technology which has doubled the lifespan of batteries which means they become more cost-effective.

Myth #3

Power Supply

Altogether range and power supply limited Some of the skeptics think that medium aircraft tugs have range and battery life limits that limit the basic operation to be limited. Nevertheless, even though industries have gotten better in the development of batteries’ energy density, both the weight of the electric tugs’ power packs and their range remain far away from the common space of a busy airfield. Just like that, the implementation of rapid charging infrastructure as well as swapping battery packs enables the faultless joining of electric tugs to airport fleets, eliminating the need to have the whole tug sit idle for long periods.

Myth #4

The Possibility of Infrastructure

Compatibility may have been a concern as a lot of people doubt the possibility of the tugs working with existing airport infrastructure such as charging points and maintenance centers. Dispelling myths about these vehicles, electric tugs, and other similar vehicles are engineered to harmonize perfectly with standard Ground Support Equipment layouts, and as all good manufacturers are doing, these vehicles are customizable to meet the special needs of each airport. Likewise, the replacement of the existing tug propulsion by electric drive trains is indeed one of the green approaches to ground handling services, which can be applied even if one is not ready to renew the whole fleet.

Myth #5

Less Environmental Effects

For as long as electric APUs are loved and admired for their vast advantages for the environment, some people question the benefit of these APUs in terms of carbon emission and environmental pollution. Contrarily, as its power source is electricity electric tugs are less polluting than diesel tugs, that’s easy to see in how it contributes to cleaner air and better air quality around airports overall. Last, our decision to use electric tugs also conforms with sustainability measures and air pollution reduction targets to be achieved at the local, national, and international levels, which leads to greener aviation.

Myth #6

Slow Charging

In some cases, large electric tugs require many hours of charging which could translate into plug and go time spent on the apron. Failure to recharge the electric tug leads to delays and inefficiencies during ground handling operations. Despite the fact, improving recharging infrastructure, “fast-charging stations” and “rapid-charging” technology, these times have got to be reduced drastically for electric tugs’ charging. Most of the electric tug models have a full charge it takes a few hours to pace the turnaround intervals between the towing opportunities. Moreover, with a smart charging system, it is possible to organize the charging schedulers in a way that always cut-off off downtime and empowers productivity.

Conclusion

Accepting the electric aircraft tugs as not being a myth shows the scenery of a road paved by new ideas and environmental friendliness. To sum up, these two featured high-end tugs exhibit excellent performance that in many cases is much better than conventional tugboats. Classification and economic savings, as well as environmental impact, are some of the areas in which they excel. With truth replacing myths, we get ready for the future when airports are green, COP is equivalent to zero and the working environment becomes safe and comfortable.

At the center of this revolution, there is AC Air Technology, a company that is ranked the best electric aircraft tug manufacturer. Through the provision of innovative possibilities and the pursuit of excellence, AC Air Technology advances the refurbishing of ramp operations on the worldwide level. Their exclusive use of highly efficient electric motors to powerful battery technologies defines the grinding technology AC Air Technology tug as what the future of aviation ground support looks like.