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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider Trade & Industry devider CEB to demo electric baggage tractor

CEB to demo electric baggage tractor

Published Aug 18, 2023 06:57 am

As part of its electric vehicles (EV) transition program, Cebu Pacific (CEB) will do a demonstration run of an electric baggage tractor and a charging station within this quarter.

 

Airlines use baggage tractors for towing carts and dollies in their ramp operations. 

 

CEB operates more than 100 units of baggage tractors, one of the highest numbers in the airline’s fleet of ground support equipment (GSE).

 

The 100 percent electric, zero-emission tractor will be operated and tested for CEB’s ground operations at Terminals 3 and 4 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila. 

 

The airline targets to bring in several units of electric baggage tractors this year and deploy them at the terminals.

 

“Our objectives for this demo run are multipronged," said Javier Massot, CEB’s Chief Operations Officer.

 

"Since electric vehicles are a relatively new area for CEB, we want to test the technology and its operational viability and safety," he explained.

 

"We also intend to test the demo unit for various scenarios in our ground operations, so we are deploying it for both airport operations and cargo operations over the demo period,” according to the COO.   

 

TLD Asia Limited (TLD) is supplying both the electric baggage tractor and the charging station demo units.

 

The baggage tractor uses lithium-ion batteries, which have a significantly longer life compared to previous-generation lead acid batteries.  

 

The charging station unit is a fast charger.

 

TLD is a subsidiary of Alvest, a group that designs, manufactures and distributes technical products for the aviation industry.

 

CEB is expecting one more electric baggage tractor demo unit to arrive from another GSE original equipment manufacturer (OEM), which is also targeted for deployment in July.

 

Whatever CEB will learn from the demo runs will be crucial inputs to its long-term strategy in transitioning its ground transportation network to electric, zero-emission alternatives. 

 

The EV program is part of CEB’s commitment to manage and reduce the  impact of its operations on the environment.

 

“CEB’s Scope 1 emissions come from our flights and ground operations," Alex Reyes, Chief Strategy Officer, acknowledged.

 

"Although emissions from our GSEs, as part of our ground operations, are only a small portion of our total Scope 1, our decarbonization strategy addresses the entire emissions from our value chain," he explained.

 

"This is necessary as we align with net-zero by 2050 emission reduction goals,” Reyes pointed out.

 

Earlier this year, CEB rolled out its EV service for employees with the deployment of the 100 percent electric COMET vehicles from GET Philippines, Inc.

 

For its flight operations, CEB continues to take new deliveries of fuel-efficient aircraft from Airbus, with 10 brand new aircraft scheduled for 2023, and five additional aircraft via long-term lease.

 

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