So, with all due respect to all of those on here who have been led to believe that their ideas and concerns have yet to be met, let me fill you in just a bit!
For the most part, if you would take the time to actually sit down and go over each of the products on line and actually pay close attention to detail of the information being shared you may actually learn something. Every company that is developing an E-Taxi system recognizes the need for engine run up time and this has been calculated into the savings and time matrixes. Let's face it, no pilot wants someone else to be in control of his or her aircraft or for that matter let alone an automated tug! We all know that first flight warm up is the longest required by a manufacturer as well as the cool down time after landing. That being said, each aircraft is used anywhere from 4.5 to 6.7 flights per day which means that for 90% of the time, even the warm up is of no consequence.
Nobody, and I mean nobody, wants to use the electric taxi systems as a brake. One of the gentlemen on here had a very good calculation in proving the required braking power but besides that, who wants to heat up a motor just for braking which the aircraft already has!
As for a tug that carries the aircraft, son, that has already been done and you should know that this only reduces the life of the landing gear due to the fact that each time you tow an aircraft in that method it counts as a cycle.
Having an audible reverse noise is simply not an option, considering the decibel level it would need to be to actually be louder than the APU and whatever equipment is operating around the aircraft. THIS IS WHY WE HAVE WING WALKERS BACKING UP BEHIND THE AIRCRAFT!
Roger G, well done! Yes, the economics add up and that is why a number of airlines have already signed on to one of the companies and it seems your observation on the landing gear retraction is well informed!
What you all should realize is that it is not just attaching some dinky motor to the airplane, it is a complete redesign of the wheels themselves! The APU has more power on most aircraft than you would ever believe and that is a fact and as far as I am going to say publicly!
Cockney Steve, it is quite clear that your creative mechanical engineering abilities are hampered deeply by your expert extensive electrical engineering knowledge of the APU. Since we know the latter is simply void so are the rest of your qualities. It is simply apparent that your overall knowledge of the costs and operational restraints of running an airline are just elementary! The cost and savings matrix has hundreds of elements and the savings that are advertised are actually lower than the KNOWN savings because in business you want to have a happy client and not one who feels japed on the sale value!
Dominican, please get a grip, it will be here next year on line and there are many people working on this for a number of multi-billion dollar companies who are generations ahead of you.
Bottom line folks is that yes, it is coming and it is coming very soon. Some of you may start seeing this in your AQP programs soon enough. Others maybe later, who knows, but when things like this change an industry and who it works, one should ready themselves and become as familiar with the technology as possible. A good pilot is not just someone who can manipulate the controls but one who understands all his or her systems and correlation of that knowledge to effectively and safely operate the flight.
I look forward to comments, questions and concerns.