Phillips & Temro Industries (PTI) announced the launch of its Idle Free electric APU, an APU design that mounts the auxiliary power unit behind the cab rather than on the truck’s rails. According to the company, the Series 4000 eAPU is suited for fleets with over-the-road sleepers with limited frame space and over-the-road sleepers pulling a refrigerated trailer. Like its original APU, the Series 4000 eAPU captures and stores energy from the truck’s alternator in independent AGM batteries. This energy is then converted into power for cooling and electrification. Also, locating the APU behind the cab minimizes exposure from the environment.“Just as we are challenged to develop APUs to keep abreast of the ever-increasing in-cab power loads, we put ourselves to task and continue to push the design envelope for other needs, as well,” said John Sweazey, product engineer, Phillips & Temro Industries. “In addition to designing an APU that delivers maximum performance, we also took into consideration weight, power sources, endurance and location on the truck.”Availability of the Series 4000 eAPU falls on the heels of released performance results that were verified by a third party certified test lab. “Idle Free is the only APU on the market that offers Reefer Link technology,” the company added. “The Reefer acts as a link between the truck and the reefer unit to convert the energy produced by the reefer unit for the drivers’ personal comfort – unlimited run time of the A/C and heater as well as providing electrical power for items such as TV’s, microwaves and computers.”
