Goldhofer has been shortlisted for the German Sustainability Award for its all-electric »PHOENIX« E aircraft tow tractor, a zero-emission vehicle for sustainable ground handling at airports.

The award, the biggest of its kind in Europe, recognises excellence in sustainability in business, local government and research, and is given by the Stiftung Deutscher Nachhaltigkeitspreis e.V. (German Sustainability Award Foundation) in collaboration with the German federal government and leading municipal and business associations. This year, the jury has shortlisted Goldhofer’s electrically powered »PHOENIX« E towbarless aircraft tractor for the finals.

According to Goldhofer, the zero-emission powerhouse sports 700 V lithium-ion battery technology and makes light work of moving cargo and passenger aircraft with a take-off weight of up to 352t – including wide-body aircraft. At Munich Airport, where the goal is carbon-neutral operation by 2030, the »PHOENIX« E has now completed an intensive test phase, proving that electric ground handling is feasible without any loss of performance.

“We were delighted to be among the finalists and proud of such recognition of our work on sustainable airport apron vehicles,” said Lothar Holder, CEO at Goldhofer Aktiengesellschaft and head of Airport Technology.

As the flagship among Goldhofer’s towbarless aircraft tractors, the zero-emission »PHOENIX« E offers the same range of performance in terms of tractive power, manoeuvrability and reliability as the diesel version, plus additional advantages such as lower operating costs and longer maintenance cycles.

The power is delivered by a high-performance electric drive combined with efficient 700 V lithium-ion battery technology, which has already proved highly successful with electric commercial vehicles and meets the highest standards of safety. In addition, the TMS system (Thermo Management System) that is part of the »IonMaster« concept is the key to long battery life. It also provides very short charging times, and supports fast and opportunity charging at all standard AC and DC charging points with up to 150kW. The 220kW direct drive guarantees reliable, high-performance aircraft handling with towing speeds of up to 32km/h.

Goldhofer says the »PHOENIX« E has „enormous potential for real energy savings compared to conventional tow tractors, outstanding total vehicle efficiency and availability, the highest level of performance and zero-emission operation“.