Motor Assist Drive...for Jetliners

Motor Assist Drive

Boeing Company and Chorus Motors have demonstrated the use of an onboard electric motor attached to the nose wheel of a Boeing 767 to allow jetliners to maneuver into and around gates.

If widely deployed, the onboard nose-wheel motor would largely eliminate the use of tow tugs or the airplanes own engines for such work, reducing ground fuel consumption and emissions.

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This sounds like a good technology.
I'm surprised no one has done it before.
Or have they?

These great big machines that can carry hundreds of people for thousands of miles and they need a little tug just to get out of the gate.

The part that surprises me is that it hasn't been done a long time ago. It's also neat that this is coming out of Phantom Works and it was tested on an Air Canada jet.

Interesting post, thanks......

I read about this a couple days ago, and I to was suprised that its never being done before. Its just one of those little things you never think about, until someone brings it up.

Do you know if Boeing plans on incorporating it in future planes like the 787...since its not built yet I would think that would make it much easier, since they can still put it in its blueprints.