Oshkosh airport of the future features autonomous ground support EVs

Leveraging its advanced autonomy stack, Oshkosh corporation’s AeroTech group has debuted a series of electric support vehicles for the “Airport of the Future” that includes this driverless, electric baggage and cargo handler.

Airport ground support vehicles like baggage handlers, fueling rigs, and airplane tugs are ideal use cases for electrification. They’re purpose-built, route-based vehicles operating exclusively on controlled job sites, on predictable routes, and performing tasks that reward high torque at low speeds. It should come as no surprise, then, that as Oshkosh looks ahead to the future it sees EVs.

“Technology is only as valuable as the positive impact it has on our lives and within our communities,” said John Pfeifer, president and chief executive officer, Oshkosh Corporation. “Our innovations use AI, autonomy, connectivity and electrification to support a safe, productive, quiet and clean future.”

The company believes its electric and autonomous gate and ground support equipment, combined with other connected technologies, will help airlines to optimize operations and reduce travel delays related to cargo and loading.

Oshkosh at CES

The company unveiled its baggage handler at CES last month, where Oshkosh showed-off AI-powerd self-driving vehicles and connected solutions like iOPS and ClearSky Smart Fleet technologies to improve operator safety both at airports and on construction job sites.

The best part? Instead of the vehicle going back to a designated charging area to power up, the power comes to it. When the EV is expected to be stable for a few minutes, an Oshkosh-developed Autonomous Mobile Charging Robot (AMCR). This concept brings wireless charging capabilities directly to equipment to help optimize uptime and support accelerated adoption of electrified products through the company’s ClearSky Smart Fleet technology.

You can check the vehicles out for yourself in the photo gallery, below. The AMCR is shown wearing JLG livery (JLG is a construction equipment brand owned by Oshkosh), and can provide power to any vehicle using a conventional J1772/CCS connector.

Oshkosh gallery

SOURCE | IMAGES: Oshkosk; photos by the author.