CPB35E Electric Pushback Tractor
80 V AC electric pushback for the 737-757 class — 24,000 lb drawbar, twin AC motors, four-wheel drive.
The CPB35E is Charlatte America's 80 V AC electric pushback tractor, introduced in response to customer demand for an affordable electric pushout unit. It is a heavy-duty, self-propelled towbar tractor suitable for pushout operations on aircraft ranging from the 737 family up to the 757, bringing the advantages of electric traction to one of the most visible vehicles on the stand: quiet operation at the aircraft nose, no smoke or fumes around headset crews, and materially lower maintenance than diesel equivalents.
Published specification: rated tractive effort of 24,000 lb (10,880 kg); twin 35 hp (26 kW) Schabmuller TSA300BB AC motors in a four-wheel-drive layout, managed by dual Curtis 1238 controllers in a 2 x 80 V AC system; two 80 V / 500 Ah batteries at up to 4,000 lb each. Speeds are 7 mph (11.2 km/h) empty in high gear, 5 mph (8 km/h) in low gear, and 3 mph (4.8 km/h) pushing a 250,000 lb load. Total vehicle weight with both batteries is 40,000 lb, split evenly front/rear — battery mass doing double duty as traction ballast. Dimensions: 5,004 mm long without hitch extension, 2,337 mm wide, 1,854 mm high with cab (1,321 mm without); 252 in (6,401 mm) outside turning radius; 9 in (229 mm) ground clearance on 315/80R22.5 tyres. Braking is wet disc with an independent split system and a spring-loaded disc parking brake — a sealed arrangement well suited to dusty, sandy aprons.
For GCC operations the CPB35E addresses the high-frequency narrow-body rotations that dominate Gulf terminals and remote stands, where an electric conventional pushback is one of the most visible early wins in an apron decarbonisation plan. Buyers should note the published envelope honestly: this is a towbar pushback for the 737-757 class — wide-body pushback and towbarless handling sit outside its specification — and battery charging arrangements are configured at quotation. The unit is built at Charlatte America's Bluefield, Virginia plant with 24-hour spare-parts dispatch and worldwide field-technician support.
Technical specifications.
| Rated tractive effort (drawbar) | 24,000 lb (10,880 kg) |
| Aircraft envelope | 737 family to 757 (towbar pushback) |
| Traction motors | 2 x Schabmuller TSA300BB AC, 35 hp (26 kW) each |
| Drive | Four-wheel drive, one-speed gearbox |
| Batteries | 2 x 80 V, 500 Ah |
| Controllers | Curtis 1238, dual 80 V AC system |
| Max speed empty (high gear) | 7 mph (11.2 km/h) |
| Speed with 250,000 lb load | 3 mph (4.8 km/h) |
| Length (w/o hitch extension) | 5,004 mm |
| Width | 2,337 mm |
| Height with cab | 1,854 mm |
| Outside turning radius | 6,401 mm |
| Ground clearance | 229 mm |
| Service brakes | Wet disc, independent split system |
| Vehicle weight with batteries | 40,000 lb (18,144 kg), 50/50 front-rear |
Use cases.
- ›Narrow-body (737/A320-class up to 757) pushback and pushout operations
- ›Electric conversion of pushback fleets on high-frequency short-haul stands
- ›Quiet, fume-free operations near headset crews and terminal buildings