London, UK: Thermo King, Volvo and Arla Foods have built one of the UK’s largest refrigerated hybrid trucks to carrying milk in London. The hybrid truck provides increased sustainability with lower fuel costs and reduced noise compared to standard diesel model.
The 26-tonne, 8.65-metre concept rigid truck has a combined conventional and eutectic plate refrigeration system to provide temperature control when the vehicle operates in engine and battery-powered mode.
Arla and Volvo are evaluating this vehicle for commercial sale and anticipate it will deliver fuel savings and reduce emissions
Thermo King developed the solution in cooperation with Volvo UK and Volvo Belgium for Arla Foods. The truck is the only Volvo 26-tonne refrigerated dairy truck hybrid in the UK today.
“Thermo King is working to develop innovative solutions such as this to help customers meet forthcoming regulations and increase sustainability for both large and small deliveries,” said Steve Williams, UK sales manager, Thermo King.
The vehicle uses a Thermo King vehicle-powered V-700 Max Spectrum refrigeration system to provide over-the-road refrigeration. The V-700 Max Spectrum refrigeration unit is a low-noise unit, allowing for inner city delivery at any time. “The V-700 Max Spectrum, the latest addition to the Thermo King V-Series range of transport refrigeration units, has a nominal capacity 20-30 percent higher than its direct competitors,” he says.
The hybrid truck also has specially designed eutectic plates connected to the V-700 Max Spectrum’s fridge that provide backup refrigeration when the truck is operating in the over-the-road battery mode. Thw technology meets all the criteria required by Arla Foods.
When the unit is plugged into electric standby overnight, the refrigeration unit’s host compressor provides the necessary refrigeration to freeze the liquid solution inside the eutectic plates, providing the overall system with additional temperature hold-over capacity when the Volvo hybrid is operating in battery mode during its deliveries.
Arla and Volvo are evaluating the vehicle for commercialization. They anticipate that it will deliver significant fuel savings and reduce truck emissions.
