Carrier battery-powered units complete Waitrose trial

UK: Supermarket chain Waitrose & Partners has added seven all-electric temperature-controlled vans equipped with Carrier Transicold’s battery-powered Neos 100 refrigeration units to its commercial fleet.

The seven Vauxhall Vivaro-e vans on trial were acquired as part of a government-funded trial to test the validity of wireless electric vehicle (EV) charging. 

Carrier Transicold’s roof-mounted 12V Neos 100 system is designed to operate entirely on a 230V auxiliary battery system. The unit’s design is said to combine constant cooling capabilities with an ultra-slim profile. Its monoblock construction comes pre-charged from the factory with less than 1kg of R134a, a refrigerant with a lower GWP than both R452A and R404A which are most commonly used in the road transport industry.

These latest additions to Waitrose’s commercial fleet – which contains more than 400 Carrier-cooled assets – are charged wirelessly via dedicated pads in the parking bays at the Waitrose store at St Katharine Docks, London. All seven have been in service since last year, operating operate home delivery routes across the city.

Waitrose delivers to more than 330 stores across the UK and services customer home deliveries. The supermarket’s latest EVs will operate seven days a week, clocking up an annual mileage of approximately 19,000km.