ECOOLTEC is strengthening its distribution network in Benelux with the addition of Klaas Kliffen, an experienced transport refrigeration expert. The engineer will be responsible for regional sales, setting up the service network and supporting body builders. Benelux offers ECOOLTEC a particularly high growth potential, as there are already many zero-emission zones that only emission-free trucks are allowed to enter. ECOOLTEC systems not only build an efficient combination with electrically powered trucks, but they are also ideally suited to the demanding distribution operations that predominates in Benelux.
Distribution and transport refrigeration expert Klaas Kliffen is taking on the role of Sales Director Benelux at ECOOLTEC Grosskopf GmbH with immediate effect. He previously worked in sales for 15 years for a well-known company in the industry. “During this time, customers repeatedly asked me for alternatives to the systems that were commonly used at the time, which were not auxiliary diesel powered but also did not use synthetic refrigerants harmful to the climate. I can now offer them both those alternatives. That’s why I’m very excited about my new role at ECOOLTEC”, he explains.
ECOOLTEC is currently the only company in the transport refrigeration industry to offer purely electrically powered transport refrigeration systems for heavy-duty commercial vehicles that use only the particularly climate-friendly natural refrigerants propene (R1270) and CO2 (R744) instead of the commonly used F-gases with a very high GWP (global warming potential) of more than 2,000. Neither R1270 nor R744 have any significant greenhouse gas effect.
Zero-emission zones boost demand for zero-emission trucks
“Customers in the Benelux region value environmental, climate and health protection highly. In the Netherlands, for example, there are already many zero-emission zones that can only be accessed by completely emission-free trucks. That is why many fleets prefer to use electric commercial vehicles and purely electric transport refrigeration units”, says Klaas Kliffen. “Furthermore, they need systems that are reliable in the long term. The F-Gas Regulation is causing a shortage of synthetic refrigerants available in the EU, which is driving up their prices”, he adds. ECOOLTEC’s transport refrigeration units are reliable in the long term thanks to the exclusive use of natural refrigerants. Furthermore, unlike F-gases, natural refrigerants do not produce harmful per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, known as PFAS, when they enter the atmosphere. I am convinced that ECOOLTEC systems are the future”, says the Sales Director Benelux.
“We are delighted that Klaas Kliffen is strengthening ECOOLTEC’s sales team in Benelux. His responsibilities will also include establishing a service network and supporting body builders in the region”, says Henning Altebäumer, CEO of ECOOLTEC. “The Benelux market offers ECOOLTEC an enormous growth potential. More than half of all refrigerated vehicles there are used in food distribution and have multi-temperature box bodies. Our economically efficient and powerful transport refrigeration units are particularly well suited for this
demanding application and ideal for a combination with electric trucks”, he explains.
ECOOLTEC technology enables F-gas-free supply chain
ECOOLTEC has developed a revolutionary generation of transport refrigeration machines for use on commercial vehicles. The transport refrigeration systems can be operated electrically from the truck engine via their in-house high-performance alternator, a battery, or a separate power alternator and therefore do not require an integrated diesel engine. Unlike widely used diesel refrigeration machines, the ECOOLTEC unit produces neither local pollutant nor CO2 emissions in battery operation, and up to 98 per cent fewer emissions via the alternator drive.
The technological highlight of the system is the use of sustainable refrigerants. Instead of the fluorinated refrigerants (fluorocarbons) R452A and R410A with GWP values of more than 2,000, which are currently predominantly used in transport refrigeration, ECOOLTEC relies on the natural refrigerants CO2 (R744) and propene (R1270) with negligible GWP values of 1 and 0 respectively. Hydrocarbons are also characterised by the high energy efficiency of the refrigeration process, meaning that ECOOLTEC refrigeration systems have an enormous refrigeration capacity in terms of size and weight to meet the extreme temperature safety demands in food distribution. As a result, the ECOOLTEC refrigeration system requires 60 per cent less fuel and causes 80 per cent less CO2 emissions than a conventional system for the same cooling capacity powered by a stand-alone diesel engine. Natural refrigerants also offer good availability at a competitive price.
Natural Refrigerants do not form PFAS harmful to health
In addition, the regulatory authorities are also focusing on the adverse effects of F-gases on human health. They belong to the harmful substance groups of perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS). The REACH Regulation
(EC) 1907/2006 restricts the use of such chemicals and could therefore also be applied to F-gases in the future. It is therefore possible that the REACH Regulation will ban the use of F-gases as refrigerants even before the dates specified by the F-Gas Regulation.
