Airbus trials green aircraft taxiing system
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Airbus has signed a new agreement to develop a fuel-saving taxiing system for its A320 aircraft.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with EGTS International will lead to the roll-out of the ‘Electric Green Taxiing System (eTaxi)’, that will allow aircraft to be moved to and from the gate without operating the main engines.
Instead, eTaxi uses the aircraft’s auxiliary power unit (APU) to drive electric motors fitted to the main landing gear wheels. Airbus estimates that this will result in fuel savings and CO2 reductions of approximately 4%, while reducing the time of taxiing operations, and cutting taxiing-related carbon and nitrous oxide emissions by more than half.
The system is designed so that pilots are able to keep full control of their aircraft’s speed and direction.
“Following our demonstration of the technology at this year’s Paris Airshow, this MoU marks the next critical milestone in the advancement of the Electric Green Taxiing System as an option for Airbus’ A320 family, by securing Airbus’ support in the development of the system. Airbus will provide extremely valuable insight to facilitate a seamless integration into the aircraft,” said Brian Wenig, vice president of the EGTS programme.
EGTS International is a joint venture between Safran and Honeywell Aerospace. In partnership with Airbus, the companies will now jointly develop and present a global implementation plan to enable the roll-out of the eTaxi system across the A320 series.
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