Carrier Transicold recently showcased its flagship next-generation temperature-controlled trailer system—the Vector HE 19—and celebrated the delivery of one of the units to food wholesaler Castell Howell, which became one of the first customers in the United Kingdom to take delivery of a new Vector in May.
The company says the new, ultra-modern design of the Vector HE 19, first unveiled at the 2018 IAA Commercial Vehicles show and highlighted more recently at Transport Logistics 2019 in Munich, Germany, delivers a reduction in fuel consumption of up to 30%, creates a 10% savings in weight, reduces noise by 3 dB(A) and offers up to 15% savings on maintenance costs.
“The new Vector HE 19 is a huge step forward for trailer refrigeration,” said Andreas Wallmeyer, Carrier Transicold director for Central Europe. “It delivers huge performance advantages for our customers in just about every area. The unit combines current innovative technology, like the all-electric E-Drive TM system, with new technology designed to significantly improve our customers’ fleet efficiency, performance and sustainability.”
Carrier Transicold said it improved the Vector range, optimizing internal architecture and redesigning it to increase sustainability and efficiency. The Vector HE 19 system combines E-Drive technology with an improved multi-speed engine design, bringing fuel savings of up to 30% when compared to the existing Vector 1950—the equivalent of saving 5.4 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually. Thanks to a lighter frame, compressor and fans, the overall weight of the unit was reduced by 82 kilograms (181 pounds), increasing payload potential. It is also 3 dB(A) quieter than a standard Vector 1950, making it 50% quieter in operation.
Castell Howell mounted its new Vector HE 19 MT (multi-temperature) unit to a 44.6-foot double-deck trailer manufactured by Gray & Adams. The company also plans to add six new 16.5-ton DAF LF rigid trucks fitted with Solomon bodies and Carrier Transicold ICELAND TWINCOOL systems to its fleet later this year.
DAF Trucks is a European subsidiary of PACCAR.
“It’s always very exciting to be at the forefront of new technology in our industry,” said Martin Jones, director of transport operations for Castell Howell. “So getting the opportunity to be one of the first companies to use the next-generation Vector unit was obviously something we jumped at.
“We’ve been specifying Carrier Transicold equipment for close to 30 years, so we had absolutely no doubt the new Vector would match up to the high standards we have come to expect. Alongside the engineless options for the new rigids, it really was the next logical step for the fleet.”
The Vector HE 19 unit features the latest components, including a new, Stage V compliant diesel engine with electronic engine control, Carrier said. It also uses a hermetic compressor and economizer, as well as the efficiency of a microchannel heat exchanger condenser, which delivers a 40% increase in refrigeration capacity during pull-down, while reducing the chance of refrigerant escape by 50%.
A redesigned upper airflow management creates more efficient airflow, helping ensure the integrity of the cold chain. This primarily is achieved through a larger condenser air inlet opening and a change in the evaporator air flow orientation, helping to maximize the Coanda effect—the phenomena of a jet flow remaining “attached” to a curved surface. The system also features a single, ultra-efficient evaporator fan, which helps improve heat exchange throughout the evaporator, the company claimed.
For fleets looking for a significant reduction in emissions, Carrier said the new Vector HE 19 unit also will be available as an engineless option. The engineless trailer will be energized by the truck’s engine, through the Carrier Transicold ECO-DRIVE power module, or through the trailer’s axles, which, when connected to a generator, can be used to supply a battery that subsequently powers the system.
In standby mode, the unit provides up to 14,800-watt cooling capacity, which equates to 85% of the system’s total capacity.
“The new trailer system was designed with the operator in mind and improves on the current generation product in every area, even down to its new APX control system using Controller Area Network (CAN) technology, which allows multi-speed engine control and management of all actuators and sensors to optimize refrigerant flow and temperature control,” Carrier maintained. “Carrier Transicold integrates, for the first time in Europe, a large screen graphical display improving user experience.”
The Vector HE 19 unit is available in three compartment configurations, and provides high and constant levels of heating to all compartments thanks to the E-Drive Technology that improves temperature regulation for multi-temperature operation, the company said.
