FRIGOBLOCK, one of the leading manufacturers of transport refrigeration units in Europe and brand of Thermo King, announced the delivery of the first all-electric distribution truck to Martin & Servera, a Swedish wholesaler for restaurants and commercial kitchens. The new Volvo FE Electric truck featuring the electric Frigoblock FK13 refrigeration unit started delivery operations in the city of Stockholm, Sweden.
This zero-emission and low-noise solution will allow Martin & Servera to deliver goods in Low Emission Zones, and at any time of day or night, significantly contributing to increasing the efficiency of their inner-city deliveries. The driver can also easily operate the refrigeration unit from inside the cab and turn it off if necessary when approaching one of the city’s sensitive areas.
“Building on decades of industry expertise, our technology is designed to create value for our customers while helping them to reduce the environmental footprint of their transport operations”, said Fredrik Weimyr, Managing Director at Thermo King Sverige AB. “Combining the electric technologies of Volvo and Frigoblock, we developed an energy efficient solution that takes our customers and the industry another step closer to sustainable, CO2-neutral temperature-controlled transport.”
The Frigoblock FK13 dual-zone unit selected for this application communicates with the vehicle’s CAN-system via the Frigoblock inverter technology. This allows the Frigoblock refrigeration units to work directly with the battery-powered vehicle, minimising the number of energy-consuming components and optimising the use of the battery. The supply of energy from the vehicle’s batteries can be altered depending on the need to secure the correct temperature in the two refrigerated compartments.
“Energy efficiency and optimization of the vehicle’s battery usage it crucial for effective transport operations. Our technology ensures that the refrigeration unit uses only the minimal power necessary to secure the correct cargo temperature. This contributes to maximising the truck’s range and allows our customers to do more emission-free deliveries”, said Fredrik Weimyr.