Is this America’s first electric refrigerated catering truck for aviation?

Global airport ground support equipment (GSE) manufacturer Mallaghan just deployed what it says is North America’s first ever fully electric refrigerated catering truck designed specifically for the aviation industry.

Co-developed by Mallagha and International Motors (formerly Navistar), the Mallaghan CT6000E was unveiled at a ceremony at Logan International Airport in Boston that was attended by Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, State Representative Adrian Madaro, and Boston City Councilor Gabriela Coletta-Zopata.

“This launch marks a significant milestone for both Mallaghan and the aviation industry as a whole in North America,” said Joe Griffith, Chief Commercial Officer at Mallaghan. “The CT6000E not only reinforces our commitment to innovation and sustainability but also supports our partners in their pursuit of greener, safer, and more efficient (aviation) operations.”

As a truck, the CT6000E shown in Boston looks to be based on the same International eMV chassis that underpins New England’s HazMat1 fire truck. The eMV features a 33,000 lb. GVWR, a direct-drive electric motor packing 1,737 lb-ft of peak torque, and 135 miles of range from its 210 kWh li-ion battery pack. The eMV also features a robust aux system powered by a pair of AGM 12V batteries that charge through the main 609V high voltage system.

To help it serve its aviation mission as GSE, the CT6000E which features a number of new technologies aimed at both vehicle efficiency and operator safety, including an advanced aircraft-controlled approach system (CAS) to help reduce aircraft damage, 360-degree Birds Eye camera system with onboard hard drive, and on-board telemetry.

Mallaghan’s CT6000E will be operated by premium airline catering company, DO & CO, whose international roster of clients includes American Airlines, Delta, gategourmet, IAG, Southwest Airlines, Qatar Airways, and Servair.

Electrek’s Take

While this International-based CT6000E is the first such refrigerated electric catering truck in the US, it’s mest certainly not the first suck truck Mallaghan has put into service. Those two photos, above, show a very similar product from Mallaghan (confusingly called CT6000e) based on the Volvo FL Electric. That truck was first launched back in 2019.

With the short distances driven at limited speeds under extreme loads, GSE at airports present a nearly ideal use case for battery-electric vehicles. That’s a good thing, too — as demand for on-road fossil fuels drops, airports and airlines – historically responsible for about 4% Earth’s global warming – are becoming a bigger and bigger slice of a rapidly shrinking pie when it comes to fossil fuel emissions.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Mallaghan SE.