The refuelling truck is being used at Signature Aviation’s Vail location at Eagle County Regional Airport in Colorado and the 5,000 gallon unit will be integrated into operations where Rampmaster’s diesel units have been in service for several years.
The electric refuelling truck replaces the diesel engine with an electric motor and hydraulic pump powered by lithium batteries.
Leighton Yohannan, CEO of Rampmaster, said: “The partnership with Signature Aviation was strategic in developing our Electric Vehicle (EV) Refueller. It has the only EV chassis, to date worldwide, that meets all aviation industry mandates while also establishing safety standards on airport.”
The electric model offers lithium technology and an encased battery with four feet separation from the electric system to the fuelling pump and tank for safety.
The Battle Motors/BorgWarner Cascadia motion motor and EV chassis meet airport axel weight and aviation requirements.
It offers full battery DC fast charges in less than two hours, which will power eight hours of total pump refuelling run time.
The elongated refueller lifespan is 20 years with 1% degradation a year compared to 10 years of most other designs.
Maintenance is lower than diesel engines and it offers significant fuel savings combined with lower emissions.
The design includes a roof-mounted battery chiller and blanket heater for extreme hot and cold temperatures, which monitors temperature and load for optimal battery utilisation while maintaining the battery temperature of 76F.
The electric refueller has a system similar to the Electric Management System on diesel-powered units, which monitors engine RPMs and PSI, with the electric version slowing motor revolutions for efficiency and improved charging time while saving motor wear and electric utilisation.
The Battle Motor Digital Dash has easy to read actionable data, diagnosis and service manuals, and telematics monitor the chassis and transmits data every three seconds.
Mobileye 8 Connect is standard for all Rampmaster vehicles to prevent and mitigate collisions.
Brad Williams, Chief Operating Officer at Signature Aviation, said: “The introduction of the aviation industry’s first zero emissions electric jet refueller is another transformative step towards our net-zero goals using our innovation test bed at Signature Vail.
“Our collaboration with Rampmaster exemplifies how we’re working with our partners and guests to research, invest, and bring to market innovative technologies to help create a more sustainable future in aviation.”
