Thermo King, a player in transport temperature control solutions and a brand of Trane Technologies, and BPW, a player in running gears and mobility services for transport, took home the third place in the “Environment” category of the “Trailer Innovation” 2023 awards. The jury of 16 renowned European transport magazines recognized Thermo King and BPW for Advancer AxlePower, the smart energy generating system that captures energy from the axle into a low or zero-emission, autonomous power source for the trailer refrigeration unit.
Developed in partnership with BPW, the Thermo King Advancer AxlePower is a fully integrated, tractor independent system that combines BPW’s ePower axle with Thermo King refrigeration unit and battery storage technology. It delivers the power needed to run the trailer refrigeration unit by converting energy recovered by the trailer’s axle during the vehicle’s routine operation.
“The Trailer Innovation Award reflects the focus which Thermo King and Trane Technologies have on boldly challenging what is possible for a sustainable world,” said Dwayne Cowan, president of Thermo King Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). “Transport refrigeration technologies have tremendous capability to decarbonize our cities through electrification and energy efficient technology. Thermo King has long considered it our responsibility to lead the industry, designing and manufacturing sustainable products that can fit alternative power sources and reduce energy consumption while offering high performance, reliability and environmental friendliness. We’re confident that together with our partners at BPW we have created the most intelligent, most flexible, most cost efficient, and most sustainable axle powered refrigeration solution on the market.”
“We are pleased and honoured to be awarded, said Thore Bakker, General Manager Trailer Solutions & Mobility Services at BPW Bergische Achsen. “I would like to thank the whole team for the great cooperation over the past two years. I am really looking forward to entering the market with Thermo King and Trane Technologies as excellent partners.”
Thermo King AxlePower system stores the energy generated while the vehicle is rolling or braking in a high voltage battery and reuses it to power the refrigeration unit – enabling fully electric, low or zero-emission and autonomous trailer refrigeration. The battery pack, depending on the configuration, provides an average of five hours of refrigeration unit autonomy to cover stationary operations.
Featuring smart power management that controls the engagement and disengagement of the generators, Advancer AxlePower also minimises the resistance on the tractor and provides the driver and fleet manager with real-time performance visibility to avoid ‘charge anxiety’.
The possibility to capture and reuse energy makes the Advancer AxlePower system an ideal solution to future-proof and increase the sustainability of all types of trailer journeys. With silent running and no CO2 emissions from the refrigeration unit when operating from the battery-pack, this technology allows customers to sustainably run long-haul and inner-city deliveries, including in Ultra-low Emission Zones (ULEZs) and low noise urban areas.
Providing electric solutions for refrigerated transportation is part of Thermo King’s and Trane Technologies’ overall approach to reducing carbon emissions. It aligns with the company’s bold 2030 Sustainability Commitments, including the Gigaton Challenge to reduce customer greenhouse gas emissions by 1 billion metric tons.
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