ELECTRIC VEHICLES
The world’s first all-electric de-icing truck took to the tarmac at Montreal Trudeau International Airport last winter. Carroll McCormick takes a look back at the Elephant e-BETA’s debut season
Canadian de-icing expert Aéro Mag fielded a special all-electric truck at the Montreal Trudeau International Airport for the first time last December, which the Montreal-based company reports will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 87% per truck, representing a combined reduction of 35 tonnes of CO2 each operating season.
Aéro Mag and Denmark-based ground support equipment manufacturer Vestergaard collaborated on the truck’s development. Vestergaard built it from the ground up and tested and certified it in-house to follow SAE, Transport Canada and Federal Aviation Administration standards. And while the first Canadian electric de-icing truck was put to work in Montreal, Vestergaard has already seen it launched successfully at numerous other airports across the world (see Early adopters below).
The truck will help Aéro Mag, which specialises in aircraft de-icing, centre management and product recycling in 17 airport locations and has more than 500 employees around the world, to reach its carbon neutral goals. Marie- Elaine Lépine, director of administration and corporate affairs at Aéro Mag, said:
