Sainsbury’s first to adopt electric refrigerated trailers

UK: Sainsbury’s has become the first UK retailer to introduce fully electric refrigerated trailers to its delivery fleet with five new trailers employing Carrier Transicold’s new Vector eCool units.

These fully autonomous, all-electric engineless refrigerated trailer systems optimise energy efficiency, converting the kinetic energy into electricity to extend battery life.

The Vector eCool combines Carrier Transicold’s E-Drive all-electric technology with a new energy recovery and storage system. This converts kinetic energy generated by the trailer into electricity, which is then stored in a battery pack to power the refrigeration unit. This loop creates a fully autonomous system that produces no direct CO2 or particulate emissions.

When the refrigeration unit is operating on battery power, Carrier Transicold’s energy management system automatically switches on when the charge reaches a certain level and conditions, initiating the generator to recharge the battery to ensure full refrigeration capacity.

The eCool system can also be plugged into the electrical grid when the trailer is parked and will fully charge in under four hours, says Carrier. On the road, the battery pack is recharged using power generated by the axles and the kinetic energy created under braking.

Patrick Dunne, Sainsbury’s director of property, procurement and cost transformation, said: “Following a successful trial earlier this year, we are pleased to introduce this pioneering technology as part of our delivery fleet. As we look to the future we will continue to invest in testing and trialling to make our fleet more efficient and greener, creating energy at the same time.”

“We will continue to introduce fully electric refrigerated trailers to the delivery fleet over the next 20 years based on Sainsbury’s and Argos’s energy infrastructure, helping us to plan for a better future.”