Goldhofer PHOENIX E Towbarless Electric Aircraft Tractor

The PHOENIX E is the all-electric model in Goldhofer's PHOENIX family of towbarless aircraft tractors, built in Memmingen, Germany. Unveiled at inter airport Europe 2019 and cleared for series operation after completing its test phase in 2021, it converts the company's best-selling towbarless tractor platform into a zero-emission apron vehicle while keeping the same performance envelope as the diesel PHOENIX AST-2P/X: pushback and long-distance towing of all common passenger and cargo aircraft from the ERJ170 up to the B777, with an aircraft range of up to 352 t MTOW and towing speeds of up to 32 km/h.

Power comes from a 220 kW direct drive fed by Goldhofer's IONMASTER high-voltage system, using 700 V lithium-ion batteries proven in the commercial vehicle industry. The battery system is modular and expandable, with 80 kWh, 160 kWh and 240 kWh configurations (factory designation AST-2E), so operators can size energy capacity to their duty cycle and add modules later as utilisation grows. Active thermal management heats and cools the cabin and all high-voltage components - including during charging - to protect battery life, and the high-voltage components are cooled by a water-glycol mixture for consistent performance in extreme conditions.

Charging uses all standard plugs (CCS Type 1, CCS Type 2 and GB/T), with rapid DC and intermediate opportunity charging at up to 150 kW and optional AC charging at up to 22 kW. The standard vehicle is rated for -20 °C to +42 °C ambient operation, extendable to -30 °C to +52 °C with the Arctic and Tropical kits - the hot-climate end being the relevant figure for Gulf apron operations. A retrofittable electric GPU is available, and the Goldhofer LINK telemetry system provides continuous condition monitoring for maintenance planning. Because the PHOENIX E shares its design, handling and parts catalogue with the diesel PHOENIX variants, mixed fleets need only one training and spares regime across both power trains. Specifications are from Goldhofer's PHOENIX Family brochure (08/2025, metric edition; data accuracy +/-3% per Goldhofer).