Please activate JavaScript!
Please install Adobe Flash Player, click here for download
ePaper created 2014-08-08, 11:09:35 | version 1.32.01
TaxiBot driver temporarily turns control of the truck over to the pilot in the cockpit, who then operates the truck remotely in pilot control mode (PCM). Once the aircraft reaches the disconnect position, the TaxiBot driver resumes control and separates the tow truck from the aircraft. Only then are the aircraft’s engines started. The third TaxiBot vehicle was delivered to Lufthansa LEOS at the end of March 2014. Testing for certification by the German Federal Aviation Office (LBA) and other authorities is currently underway. The testing program will also assess the pilots’ workload when starting the engines during the TaxiBot towing. eLift: Catering lift truck of the future The aim of the eLift project, as part of the E-PORT AN initiative, is to develop the cater- ing lift truck of the future—one that is electri- cally powered. The project, which is being managed by Lufthansa subsidiary LSG Sky Chefs, is a collaborative effort with the com- panies Doll Fahrzeugbau and Euro Engineer- ing along with the Technical University of Kaiserslautern. Various concepts for the electrification of the lift truck’s individual components, such as its lifting mechanism and its propulsion system, are being consid- ered. The basis for the new vehicle is an electrically driven truck chassis. The box body is to fulfil the same functions with elec- tric drives as a conventional lift truck. In addition, the use of electric propulsion will result in a substantial and lasting reduction in all types of emissions, particularly noise and CO2 emissions. The catering lift truck of the future will incorporate a design that separates the truck chassis mechanically and energeti- cally from the box body, the lifting system being powered separately. The vehicle itself will be able to undergo future development independently as a result. www.e-port-an.com TaxiBot: Diesel-electric-powered aircraft tow truck The TaxiBot subproject, whose focus is a diesel-electric-powered aircraft tow truck, is already at a far advanced stage. It, too, can taxi commercial aircraft to the runway with their engines off (dispatch towing). This pro- cess is based on a technology patented by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and devel- oped jointly with Lufthansa LEOS. Unlike the eTaxi, this system requires no or only minimal modifications to the aircraft. Once the aircraft has been pushed back from the gate, the 10 /11 TaxiBot tow truck tested in operation. At the end of March 2014, Lufthansa LEOS received its third TaxiBot vehicle. [Ú 10] [Ú 11] 62 // Climate and Environmental Responsibility