Melton Mowbray, UK: Samworth Brothers Supply Chain is the latest UK business to add Carrier Transicold’s Vector E-Cool fridges to its fleet.
Samworth is taking delivery of six E-Cools, Carrier’s fully autonomous, all-electric engineless refrigerated trailer refrigeration system.
A Carrier Transicold customer for 23 years, Samworth operates 240 trailers, all Carrier-cooled. To improve sustainability and increase efficiency, it specified the new engineless Vector E-Cool fridges on six 13.6-metre Gray & Adams trailers. The specification followed a 4 week trial with a demonstrator unit.
“Seeing the Vector E-Cool unit in action made making the switch an easy decision,” said Ian Cooper, regional fleet manager, Samworth Brothers Supply Chain.
“It will play a key role in reducing our carbon footprint, helping us to focus on our path to net zero, while forming a vital part of our duty of care to the environment. Of course, given the current cost of diesel, any way to lower our fuel usage across the fleet is also a welcome bonus.”
The E-cCool unit combines Carrier’s E-Drive all-electric technology with an energy recovery and storage system. This converts kinetic energy generated by the trailer axle and brakes into electric power, which is stored in a battery pack that powers the refrigeration unit – a loop that creates the industry’s first fully autonomous system, producing no direct carbon dioxide (CO2) or particulate emissions. The Vector eCool is also Piek-compliant.
“We’re excited to see how the initial six units perform and hope to place a further order for 20 more Vector E-Cool-equipped trailers next year,” Cooper said.
The new trailers are each expected to clock up around 250,000km a year, operating from Samworth’s Penrith and London depots. The trailers replace older vehicles and form part of a larger order that includes 19 Carrier Transicold Vector HE 19s on Gray & Adams double-deck trailers.
