Runcorn, UK: KM Transport is saving diesel by fitting seven Hultsteins Ecogen CostSaver systems. KM Transport operates seven tractors and nine trailers distributing for supermarkets. Hultsteins Ecogen2 onboard generators, fitted to power the refrigerated convert existing diesel-powered fridges to run on electric power from the engine power take-off.
Marian Dudziak, director said, “We rented one unit to start, so we could establish what savings were achievable. When I did the calculations, it just made complete sense, so we fitted the rest of the fleet in the summer last year. The Ecogen units are saving us around £3-4,000 per month in diesel costs and reducing our carbon by around 8 to 9 tonnes per month.”
The ability to retrofit Ecogen to its existing Renault tractor units was a boon for KM Transport. It allowed the operator to modernise its current equipment without the significant additional cost and time required to purchase new fridge trailers.
Hultsteins says a shift from diesel to electric power for the fridges cuts diesel particulate emissions by 98% and reduces Nox by at least four times. “We found further savings on the fridge’s diesel engine R&M as the system is mainly running on electric,” Dudziak said.
