Hyperdrive Innovation, a manufacturer of lithium-ion battery technologies, worked with Textron GSE – Douglas Equipment and the University of Birmingham to develop a hybrid electric pushback tractor, and displayed the unit at inter airport Europe 2017 in Munich.
The HEIP-BT offers a downsized diesel engine and an electric driveline with a control system and energy storage device. It can replace heavy duty diesel tugs in order to help airports and airlines meet CO2 reduction goals.
“The development of the HEIP-BT has been a fantastic collaboration bringing together innovation and technology from across the UK,” Allan Cairns, CEO of Hyperdrive Innovation, said in a company press release. “At Hyperdrive, we used our world-leading expertize in lithium-ion battery technology to develop the storage device and control system. The project demonstrates brilliantly how our products can be deployed across a whole variety of different applications.”
The project was awarded funding from Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy.
