Unilever has been piloting for months in the Netherlands to test battery-powered refrigeration in semi-trailers. The project is still alive with the aim of reducing the environmental impact of refrigerated products.
Diesel fridges have long been the default solution for generating the desired temperature in refrigerated trucks. While emissions from trucks themselves are regulated and have improved in recent decades, transport refrigeration itself is currently unregulated and therefore its efficiency can continue to be improved.
For this reason, we are proud that they have chosen one of our vehicles for this test/pilot project that Unilever, through TIP Trailer Services, is carrying out in the Netherlands. In a first stage, the project consisted of the substitution, in four SOR semi-trailers, of diesel refrigeration for electric prototypes powered by zero-emission batteries.
In this second stage, new reefers have been witted with smaller batteries. It means, size and weight of the batteries have been reduced to improve the viability of the project and the useful load.
The system, which keeps cargo refrigerated at temperatures as low as -25°C, has proven that it can run entirely on renewable electricity. The reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions throughout the “cold chain” has also been proven, both in the transport and in the refrigeration of products.
In creating this prototype, TIP Trailer Services, green technology experts Maxwell and Spark, and the transport company Daily Logistics Group (DLG) have been involved. In addition, tests continue to be carried out with SOR semi-trailers. Together on the move!
