Europe. Transports Frigorifiques des Monts d'Or (TFMO) has equipped its new plug-in hybrid truck with an all-electric cooling solution from Carrier Transicold. Which makes this vehicle the first of its kind in France.
The vehicle called Scania has 320 horsepower and a nine-liter engine, which can use conventional diesel or synthetic fuels such as hydrotreated vegetable oil or XTL. It can also run in all-electric mode with three 33-kilowatt-hour batteries, giving it a range of 60 kilometers.
Thus, this 26-ton truck is the new proposal that aims to travel the roads of the Lyon city area, to transport goods for the BioMérieux laboratories.
Cooling needs
This trailer manufactured by Chéreau, needed cold air to fulfill its purpose, so TFMO chose to implement in it the Iceland 11 undercover refrigeration unit of Carrier Transicold and the Eco-Drive TM hydroelectric module.
Also included was an autonomous battery pack, which converts the direct current produced and stored by the truck into the alternating current required to operate the cooling unit. Meanwhile, the Iceland 11 temperature unit receives continuous power from the battery pack, allowing the vehicle to maintain its full range in electric mode.
Jean-Pascal Vielfaure, Managing Director for France and Southern Europe at Carrier Transicold, commented: "Thanks to this solution, the refrigeration unit operates continuously, ensuring high cooling efficiency along the cold chain. This project is the result of a successful collaboration between TFMO, BioMérieux, Scania, Chéreau and Carrier Transicold. It perfectly highlights our ability to provide flexible cooling solutions for various vehicle configurations. In addition, all-electric solutions are particularly suitable for companies in the pharmaceutical sector."
Franck Guerpillon, President and CEO of TFMO, said: "Our goal is to improve the environmental footprint of our entire vehicle fleet and Carrier Transicold's electric cooling solutions will help us achieve this. Combined with synthetic HVO fuel, compared to a conventional configuration, we can reduce our CO2 emissions by up to 90% while achieving excellent levels of productivity in fast-growing urban areas."
Finally, Guerpillon added that Carrier Transicold's Iceland 11 unique temperature unit provides a low-power and media-responsible solution.
