To help fleets reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, Thermo King has tapped into a technology it has been using in Europe for new trailer and self-powered refrigeration units.
The new units with lower global warming potential (GWP) are pending approval by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program, the company said.
“Our intent has always been to offer operators choice of how and when to lower their GHG footprint without compromising the product performance they expect from Thermo King,” said Ray Pittard, president of Thermo King. “We made this new line of trailer and self-powered truck units available to customers in Europe, Middle East and Africa earlier this year and have sold more than 500 units in the first three months of the product’s release. We are delighted to offer North American customers the same choices.”
According to Thermo King, the new trailer and self-powered truck products are safe, energy efficient and reliable. They use a next-generation refrigerant that reduces GWP by around half compared to refrigerants that are currently being used today for these applications.
Thermo King is using refrigerant manufacturer Chemours’ Opteon XP44 (R-452A) product.
The company said it will continue to offer its transport customers its current line of transport refrigeration products, and ensure that optimum levels of service are offered throughout the products’ lifecycle until customers are ready to transition.
“Since its inception by Thermo King in 1938, the transport refrigeration industry has been using class A1 refrigerants that are safe, non-flammable and have the lowest toxicity,” said
Pittard. “R-452A when used in our products is the safest, most environmentally responsible, and technically and commercially viable solution for R-404A applications ranging from transport refrigeration to mobile air-conditioning. Plus, it has around half the GWP of refrigerants currently used today.”
