Airbus plans for Green Taxiing

eTaxi will further reduce fuel consumption

As part of on-going research and development into future technology options, Airbus signed a Memorandum of Understanding with EGTS International, a joint venture company between Safran and Honeywell Aerospace, to further develop and evaluate an autonomous electric pushback and taxiing solution for the A320 Family.

The agreement marks the selection of EGTS International’s Electric Green Taxiing System to be evaluated as a new option on the A320 Family – referred to by Airbus as “eTaxi.” This option would allow the aircraft to push-back from the gate without a tug, taxi-out to the runway and return to the gate after landing without operating the main engines.

eTaxi will use the aircraft’s Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) to power electric motors fitted to the main landing gear wheels. The architecture will include the ability for pilots to keep full control from the cockpit over their aircraft’s speed and direction during taxi operations.

The eTaxi option will offer several operational and environmental benefits for the A320 Family, which includes:

1. Per trip, the projected fuel savings and CO2 reductions would be approximately four percent with fuel savings of up to $300,000 per year,

2. Offer an autonomous pushback function, saving time and reducing handling costs therefore contributing to significantly more efficient taxiing operations with average time savings of two minutes on pushback accounting for annual savings of $100,000 and

3. Taxiing-related carbon and nitrous oxide emissions would be cut by more than half.

Airbus and EGTS International will jointly develop and present a global commercial case and implementation plan to determine the feasibility of an electric taxiing solution for the A320 Family with a planned entry into service in mid-2018. To this end, both companies are reinforcing their existing teams to finalize validation studies, define specifications and converge on market requirements for a fully tailored, forward-fit and retrofit technological solution.

For more information contact:
Amaya Rodriguez Gonzalez
Head of Marketing Latin America & Caribbean
amaya.rodriguez-gonzalez@airbus.com