WheelTug

[derekl]

Has anybody any knowledge about this device or its likely effectiveness?
The idea is to drive airplanes on the ground using their own nose wheels for traction thereby dispensing with tugs and with using the main engines for trundling around the airfield. The 2005-09-12 press release says that it has been used to power a Boeing 767 which might not be the largest but it is non-trivial.
http://www.wheeltug.gi
Quite cool, uses an 18 phase motor with a 3 kHz invertor.

[Swedish Steve]

I think this the system that is built into the aircraft. It is not a tug but part of the aircraft. There was a picture in Flight a couple of months ago on a B767, but only a prototype.

[derekl]

It's intended to be built-in to the nosewheel assembly but the prototype/demonstrator is not. It came to my attention because of the technology involved and because the company behind it is trying to raise investment to develop it.

My question on this forum is directed towards its practical use: for example, if you can eliminate the fuel usage during taxi this is arguably a Good Thing (it's the sort of hybrid petrol/electric car thing, like the Toyota Prius) eliminating fuel wastage and pollution. But I don't know enough about modern turbofan warm-up to know whether a very late engine start prior to take-off is desirable.