A joint venture between Safran and Honeywell is creating the Electric Green Taxiing System so that the main combustion engines of the European jet maker Airbus' airplanes are not being used. This is said to reduce fuel consumption by 4%. Airbus demonstrates A320 with electric taxiing system | ChargedEVs
The Airbus is using lower power Nickel Cadmium batteries instead of the advanced hi power capacity Lithium Air ( LiCoO2 ) batteries used by Boeing's 787 Dreamliner - to avoid the risk that the batteries might overheat. In other news, the FAA has re approved the Boeing 787 Dreamliner for flight after Boeing retrofitted their LiCoO2 battery packs with better insulation and a fire resistant metal casement... What to remember (fact to walk away with) , more powerful battery packs can generate intense amounts of heat - enough to cause a fire...
kwillscherer1992, had some trouble with your link. This one works. That being said, I don't think it is all that close to being EV technology. They are using a little gas generator to make the power to turn the wheels. The motors are just a transmission substitute.
It's a little more than 'just'. This is what revolutionized the locomotive industry. Steam locomotives were in use up to the 1960's. They were complicated pieces of machinery that needed a team of people to operate. Needing only one or two people, the diesel-electric locomotive was cheaper to build, fuel, and crew. That would not be possible using a direct transmission between the diesel and wheels.
