New reefer trucks demonstrated

New reefer trucks demonstrated U.S. government and industry officials say they are hoping the trucking industry will embrace new technology aimed at reducing diesel emissions when trucks are loading and discharging cargo or parked at truck stops.
   At a press conference organized by the Environmental Protection Agency, a hybrid refrigerated truck was demonstrated at the Passenger Ship Terminal on Manhattan’s West Side.
   The truck, equipped with a diesel electric refrigeration unit manufactured by Carrier Transicold Corp. with additional electrical hardware manufactured by Shurepower, can be turned off when at warehouses, food markets like Hunts Point in the Bronx, or even local supermarkets, and be plugged into the regular electricity grid.
   Alan J. Steinberg, regional administrator for Region 2 of the EPA, said if adopted widely, the new technology could play a big role in cleaning up the air in cities particularly in areas like Hunts Point where asthma rates are high. He noted the technology is similar to the “cold ironing” systems being introduced in ports to allow ships to use shore power rather than burn bunkers while tied up at marine terminals.
   John Penizotto, Eastern Region sales manager for Carrier, said his company introduced hybrid electric units like those demonstrated Wednesday in the United States about a year and a half ago.
   They are more expensive than a regular diesel-powered reefer van, adding perhaps $3,000 in cost to a $20,000 reefer unit, but he said they are about 30 percent cheaper to maintain and can be 20 percent to 40 percent cheaper to run, because the cost of electric power is lower than diesel fuel. Depending on how it is equipped, a 53-foot reefer trailer can cost $80,000 to $90,000.
   American companies are frugal, noted Penizotto, and to date have been slow to make the capital investment in hybrid units. That may change with rising diesel prices.
   He said in Europe, where diesel electric units have been sold for seven years, they are now so popular that Carrier no longer sells traditional diesel-powered reefer units.
   The EPA said extended idling has a significant impact upon air quality. On a national scale, extended truck idling annually contributes 11 million tons of carbon dioxide, 200,000 tons of oxides of nitrogen, and 5,000 tons of particulate matter. Additionally, idling long-haul trucks consume over one billion gallons of fuel, costing more than $2 billion a year.