On this day, visitors were able to see actual arrival flight operations being performed by EV-enabled vehicles, as well as an electric towing tractor that has already been deployed and an electric remote-controlled towbar tractor scheduled to be in operation from March 2025 onward.
On January 27, JAL showed to the press an electric high-lift loader and an electric belt loader, the first electric loaders among Japanese airlines, which will be in full-scale operation at Haneda Airport from December 2024.
Efforts to decarbonize from non-aircraft sources are in full swing
The JAL Group is currently working toward the goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 10% from the 11 million tons of CO2 emissions assumed for its entire operations in FY2030, compared to FY 2019.
Direct emissions from aircraft account for about 99% of total CO2 emissions, with the remaining 1% coming from non-aircraft sources such as ground facilities and ground vehicles. The company has set a 35% reduction target for this 1% compared to FY 2019, and one of its specific initiatives is the conversion of vehicles used at airports to EVs.
The company has already introduced electric towing cars at Haneda and Narita airports, and began operating an electric aircraft towing vehicle at Naha Airport in August of last year. The electric high-lift loaders (two units) and electric belt rollers (one unit) unveiled today are positioned as large vehicles among those that work at airports.
The electric high-lift loader introduced is called CHAMP 70Se NEO, made in Germany (by TREPEL), and its main feature is that the vehicle is equipped with an on-board charger (lithium-ion battery). The battery can handle about half a day on a full charge, and it takes about 4-5 hours to fully charge the battery.
A high-lift loader is a special vehicle that works in conjunction with towing tractors that tow containers and pallets exclusively for aircraft to carry containers and pallets in and out of aircraft.
The electric power system has reduced CO2 emissions to zero, improved quietness, and facilitated communication among the work staff. The electric power system has also led to improved working conditions for operators.
Since expansion of airport infrastructure is essential to promote the use of EVs in vehicles used at the airport, we were able to see an actual charging scene at the charging facility located at spot #3 in Terminal 1.
According to a JAL representative, by the end of the fiscal year, Haneda Airport will have four electric high-lift loaders and two electric belt loaders. Regarding the future introduction of EV vehicles, the company hopes to deploy them at airports nationwide at a time when the renewal of existing diesel vehicles matches the aging of the existing fleet, for example.
© Source travel watch
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