Vehicle temperature control system manufacturer Thermo King, a brand of Trane Technologies (NYSE: TT), plans to invest more than $100 million over the next three years to deliver a fully electric product in every segment of the cold chain.
Thermo King’s all-electric portfolio, which will be branded “evolve,” will include electric refrigeration solutions for truck, trailer, rail, air and marine transport. The company says it will include “fully electric products and hybrid products using an internal combustion engine for an emergency backup power source only.”
As new products are added to the evolve portfolio, electric solutions will be available in every cold chain segment in the Europe, Middle East and Africa markets by 2023, and in the Americas by 2025.
Thermo King already offers fully electric products such as the E-200 for middle- and last-mile delivery, and the TE-18 and Athenia all-electric HVAC units for public bus transit.
Other emissions-reducing products include: the new Advancer trailer unit, which Thermo King says is 30% more fuel-efficient than the market average, and can operate on a variety of power sources such as shore power, hybrid, holdover battery and axle generator; and the connected Precedent trailer unit, which uses shore power, and will undergo field trials with customers later this year. These innovations will pave the way for all-electric zero-emission trailer refrigeration units.
“We continue to innovate to help reduce the carbon footprint of customer operations,” said Paul Camuti, Chief Technology and Sustainability Officer for Trane Technologies. “The evolve portfolio builds on our ongoing efforts to help customers reduce environmental impact and meet their sustainability goals as they transition fleets and stay ahead of future regulation.”
“Our expertise in electrification has positioned Thermo King as a trusted partner to respected industry leaders such as Isuzu, Tesco, Mercedes-Benz and technology companies such as ELMS, Gatik and BPW, who continue to find new ways to innovate the cold chain,” said Karin De Bondt, President for Thermo King Americas. “Through these strategic partnerships we are able to further our advancements of sustainable power solutions and electrified product offerings that meet customer, regulatory and environmental requirements in our industry and our world.”
Source: Trane Technologies