Thermo King and Frigoblock aim to future-proof transport refrigeration today by harnessing the power of electricity, data and clean technology. At the 2018 IAA Commercial Vehicles show held in Hannover in September, Thermo King and Frigoblock introduced a series of truck and trailer innovations harnessing the power of electricity, data and clean technology and presented their vision of a city of the future – Thermotopia.

E-200, full-electric refrigeration unit.

Thermotopia is a city where the transport refrigeration industry ensures the safety of transported foods and goods for rising populations while eliminating smog, congestion and excessive noise. Thermotopia is where technologies help transport companies stay ahead of the regulations and grow their businesses with increasingly cost effective and environmentally sustainable solutions.

The entire host of solutions on display were proven technologies ranging from hybrid units, CryoTech, electric alternator driven Frigoblock units also working with CNG or LNG engines to fully electric independent units for small and large vans for last mile delivery.

“Market first” technologies and the new E-200, full-electric refrigeration unit

One of the “market first” technologies introduced by Thermo King and Frigoblock that lead with electricity, connectivity and sustainability to revolutionize the way transport companies operate included the new E-200, full-electric refrigeration unit.

The E-200, designed for both electric and engine-powered vans and trucks below 3,5 tons, can provide constant capacity and performance independently of the vehicle’s operation. To showcase an all-electric, zeroemission and zero-noise refrigerated van at the IAA, Thermo King partnered with Petit Forestier, European leader in refrigeration rental. Petit Forestier’s Renault Master Z.E., a 3,1 ton electric van equipped with the Thermo King E-200 unit was available for visitors at the show.

“At this year’s IAA, Thermo King entered a new era of transport refrigeration showing its vision of the future, where foods and goods can be transported safely with zero-emission, no noise and maximum convenience for urban populations,” said Pauli Johannesen, vice president and general manager for Truck, Trailer and Bus at Thermo King in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

“Together with Petit Forestier we prove that such a future is already here and thanks to the technologies leading with electricity, intelligence and sustainability we have pioneered, we can revolutionize the way the refrigerated transport operates.”

“It is important for us to ensure that our customers can rely on us to provide zero-emission means of transport refrigeration to make their urban operations more eco-friendly and stay ahead of urban transport regulations,” said Géraldine Forestier de Cespedes, Group Chief Executive Petit Forestier. “Working with partners, who are committed to sustainable development is one of our fundamental requirements. Thermo King helped us to create a highly efficient, reliable and eco-friendly solution, which is in line with our goal to be at the forefront of the greener and cleaner and more sustainable transportation in our cities.”

The E-200 is using components never seen before in the refrigerated transport industry. Chief among these is a new controller that allows the refrigeration unit to adapt the capacity based on the actual need and available power. With the unit fitted with the optional TK battery, the controller manages different power sources at the same time, to get hold over capacity during stops for deliveries or breaks. All major components of the E-200 are integrated making it a plug-andplay solution that requires no vehicle modifications to function and eliminates the issues and costs associated with installation.

The key differentiators of the E- 200 include:

• Increased uptime and utilization, with an improved maintenance interval

• Higher reliability with customized, tailor-made components

• Improved temperature control thanks to constant capacity based on actual need of the moment

• Intelligent power management algorithm to help safeguard and optimize the power supply

• Optional hold-over battery capacity independent from the vehicle

• Optional embedded Thermo King telematics to allow effective management of the fleet with full visibility of both unit and load conditions

• Available with low global warming potential (GWP) R-452a and R-134a refrigerant options to meet the efficiency requirements of high ambient and low ambient temperature applications.

Thermo King and Northgate deliver fully electric refrigerated distribution vehicle

Thermo King also worked with Northgate, the leading European commercial vehicle rental company to create a zero-emission and zeronoise refrigerated van and test it in real life operational environment.

The new Thermo King B-100 ECO refrigeration unit, specifically developed to meet the extreme low energy consumption required by small electric vehicles, was fitted on an electric Citroën Berlingo making a zero-emission and fully electric powered refrigeration vehicle, which was then entered into daily service in Spain by Northgate.

The vehicle was tracked during real life, daily operations. The tests conducted in various conditions showed the refrigeration unit’s limited, 5-8,5 percent impact on the range of the vehicle within an average delivery day of 8 hours with 32 door openings of 2 minutes each*.

This proved that the standard 12V auxiliary battery of the electric vehicle is enough to power the B-100 ECO unit and there is no requirement for additional and costly batteries on the electric van.

“Unlike the B-100 ECO, alternative small fully electric refrigeration units available on the market today require installation of an additional and costly battery in order to provide full autonomy to the unit,” said Iñaki Fernandez Blanco, head of engineering for Vehicle Powered Truck at Thermo King. “The tests showed that this additional battery pack of approximately 90 kilograms impacts the electric vehicle’s range by 3 percent. This makes the cost, space and weight factors critical in choosing the most efficient and reliable fully electric small refrigerated van solution and paving the way for inner city last mile deliveries that are truly zero-emission.”

“This zero-emission refrigerated van developed by Thermo King gives our customers the option to address their need for a nonstop transport service that provides access to any area of the city despite traffic restrictions, even in the city centre, while helping our customers respect the environment,” said Fernando Cogollos, general manager at Northgate Spain Flexible Rental (the Spanish subsidiary company of Northgate). “Following successful tests, we have already received numerous requests for this solution from our sustainability and environmentally sensitive customers in Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia.”

“For us as an innovator the ultimate goal is to provide our customers with breakthrough, sustainable and business-sound solutions that futureproof their everyday operations,” said Eneko Fernandez, product management leader at Thermo King. “In close partnership with the vehicle manufacturer we have been able to harness the power of electricity, data and clean technology, breaking new ground in the future of sustainable last mile refrigerated deliveries.”

To make sure the refrigeration unit and the van were running as expected and meeting customer expectations, the B-100 ECO unit was connected through Thermo King TracKing™ telematics allowing for easy monitoring and analyzing of the refrigerated operations. This ensured temperature control, compliance and maximum uptime — without taking the vehicle off of the road.

TracKing Connected Solutions are available across all the entire Thermo King direct drive units and offer 24/7 visibility of the vehicle, the unit’s performance and the load condition. This allows fleet managers to access critical unit data through a computer or mobile device and interact with the unit to ensure that the load is protected at all times and the unit is running at it most efficient.

* The impact of the B-Series ECO family on the range of the electric vehicle might change based on the application, the battery of the vehicle, the ambient condition and the usage of the 12V load of the vehicle itself.

THERMO KING

www.thermoking.com

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