Powerful Battery Electric Vehicle to Enter America’s Airports

The world’s most powerful industrial Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) is fast becoming a reality, thanks to the alignment of Kodiak Technologies, Chang Robotics and design and engineering technology from Roush.

As anticipated, Kodiak and Chang have designed and unveiled the product and business plan for their American-made heavy duty Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) for commercial and industrial snow removal at the recent Snow Symposium summit in Buffalo, NY.

Following the launch, more than 35 airports are now in talks to become the first to order and implement the ultra-powerful vehicles anticipated to premiere in early 2025. Many more airports, and multiple additional public and government locations and sectors, are planning to follow suit, with the help of federal and municipal incentives that will help to fund the infrastructure and initial costs.

According to Kodiak Technologies board member Matthew Chang, the power output of the new hybrid and electric vehicle makes it the most powerful vehicle ever made, capable of a total torque output exceeding diesel-powered vehicles. The total vehicle power output exceeds two 15-liter turbo-diesel engines.  

“These new offerings include an HD BEV and a series hybrid BEV capable of more instantaneous power output than a twin diesel engine vehicle, making it more powerful than any other pure battery electric vehicle on the market,” Chang said.

“We knew the vehicle was exceptionally powerful and that we were testing the limits of component suppliers in the USA. After exhaustive research we could not find a more powerful vehicle with similar all-battery electric architecture. Other larger vehicles such as trains, mining equipment and construction equipment that operate on electric drive train are not pure battery electric, as they utilize an AC power design or a parallel hybrid design.”

The Kodiak Technologies design leverages technology and existing customer relationships from Kodiak America. The concept is particularly innovative in that it represents a platform design that can be transferred to multiple other vehicle types that require large power output, which has been a previous limitation for BEV’s. 

For areas where MCS (Megawatt Charging Standard) infrastructure is not available, the vehicle design includes a series hybrid option that can be powered by hydrogen, propane, biodiesel or petrol-diesel to extend range and battery life when required.

The first Kodiak Technologies implementation is an FAA-compliant industrial snow blower vehicle capable of meeting FAA minimum requirements of capability to move 7,000 tons of snow per hour at operating speeds of 25 miles per hour, which the team recently presented as a design and business case at the FAA Snow Symposium summit in Buffalo, NY.

The Made-in-America distinction makes the vehicles eligible for federal grant programs including the bi-partisan infrastructure law (IIJA) and inflation reduction act (IRA). The first completed vehicle is under construction now and is expected to be ready for demonstration later this year.

More than 100 airport operators have previewed the new design and business case during the recent FAA presentation, and more than 35 airports departments of the federal government and international airlines entered discussions with the Kodiak Technologies team.