Berlin, Germany: Three German operators have added Thermo King SLXi hybrid fridges to their fleets.
Bodan, Brocker Logistik, and Jens Thomsen Spedition have all trialled hybrids to access restricted, low-emission and low-noise areas. And all report fuel savings using the new equipment.
“Environmentally-focused regulations, fluctuating fuel prices and the general aspiration to ‘be green’ are driving adoption of electrified solutions. Still, long-term economics is the primary concern in the logistics industry,” said Francesco Incalza, president, Thermo King Europe, Middle East and Africa.
“Thermo King innovates to help our customers control their total cost of ownership while increasing efficiency and achieving important sustainability goals. We were the first to offer our European customers true hybrid refrigeration units, a technology that futureproofs their operations combining the best of diesel and electric power.”
The wholesale company Bodan supplies organic markets in southern Germany with fruit and vegetables, milk and meat. One of its most important delivery routes is an evening and night route through the German Black Forrest region. In this particular case, the ability to operate with lowest noise was equally important as sustainability and fuel efficiency.
“A typical delivery covers a noise-sensitive route of 450 to 500 kilometers per night, from 4pm to 2am, with seven to ten stops,” said Steffen Wolf, fleet manager, Bodan.
“We operate this route six days a week servicing food retailers and farm shops. When on the road, our SLXi Hybrid unit is always in electrical mode, which not only enables almost silent cooling, but saves fuel and reduces CO2 emissions.”
Brocker Logistik is a long-haul food transport operator. Hans-Jürgen Brocker, managing director, said: “We keep our fleet up to the latest technology and emissions standards. Fuel savings and energy efficiency are top of our mind all the time,” said Hans-Jürgen Brocker.”
“We use the SLXi Hybrid mainly on the 600km route between Düsseldorf and Berlin, operated once or twice a week. With set temperature between two to five degrees Celsius, it’s crucial to have stable conditions. Continuous operation of the reefer unit is very important. Using the SLXi Hybrid in electric mode is ideal for this application and we use it all the time while driving. We only use the diesel engine of the unit when parked at the loading and unloading points, in case there is no shore power connection.”
Jens Thomsen Spedition provides food logistics, mainly fruit, vegetables, meat and dairy products and operates around 300 refrigerated trailers with 200 tractors, Thomsen supplies wholesale markets and distribution centers in Germany and Scandinavia.
“Together with our customers and Thermo King, we regularly discuss the opportunities to make transport more economical and environmentally friendly,” said Jan Thomsen, managing director.
“The new SLXi hybrid system fulfills both criteria. As soon as we heard about it, we wanted to be one of the first companies to put this innovative technology into real life operation.”
“Sustainability is increasingly important for our retail partners and their customers,” said Ulf Thomsen, managing director. “Investing in hybrid refrigeration is not only a worthwhile investment from economical point of view, but also a clear sign of our commitment to green transport technology. We see profitability and sustainability so well combined with the SLXi Hybrid system that we want keep going in this direction and further enforce this technology.”
The SLXi Hybrid is telematics-enabled as standard, delivering visibility of the unit and load condition with a TK BlueBox communication device and Bluetooth connection. Monitoring the unit’s operation allows customers to quantify the fuel savings attributed to the electric mode.
All three operators averaged a saving of 1.5 to 2 liters per 100km after offsetting the additional consumption of the tractor engine to generate the power. This translates into a return of investment period of approximately four years, well below the typical trailer replacement cycle of eight or more years.
The Thermo King Hybrid uses Frigoblock’s alternator and inverter-drive technology, which allows the unit to switch the power between diesel and electric mode as required. The SLXi Hybrid can make the switch automatically. This gives transport companies the flexibility to operate night-time deliveries, access in inner cities, residential areas and low emission zones.
