Buffaload Logistics going green with help from Hultsteins
Buffaload Logistics recently committed to adding Hultsteins’ on-board electric generator to all its tractor units after a successful trial run, according to the Swedish reefer unit manufacturer.
The Ecogen on-board electric generators, which are manufactured in the United Kingdom, will help Buffaload eliminate diesel consumption and harmful emissions from its entire temperature-controlled trailer fleet.
The lightweight, hydraulically driven system was fitted to a Scania 6x2 for the trial and put to work for a total of 230 hours over approximately 50,000 kilometers (31,000 miles). Buffaload said the results were “incredible,” not only eliminating fridge diesel but also eliminating any additional consumption from the tractor.
“At first, we couldn’t believe the figures,” said Ross Taylor, Buffaload’s CEO. “But sure enough, the Ecogen, connected to the tractor’s PTO, ran the fridge unit perfectly for around two months and not a drop of diesel was burned. Effectively, we were saving an average of four liters every hour while the fridge was running.
“Put simply, the system gives us diesel-free and pollution-free refrigeration, while adding literally no cost to the operation, apart … from the initial outlay.”
Any savings from using Ecogen will be put into other sustainable projects aligned with Buffaload’s carbon-neutral program, said Taylor, who was swayed by the Ecogen’s versatile compatibility with any tractor or reefer unit.
“This is obviously an important factor,” Taylor said. “While other electric generators only work with certain tractors and fridge models, EcoGen is universal, which means it fits easily to every existing 6x2 and powers all leading fridge marques. This gives operators unrestricted choice of equipment and makes retrofitting easy, too.”
Hultsteins has designed and produced hydraulic and electric-drive transport refrigeration systems for nearly 60 years, and retailers and transport operators increasingly are turning to systems like the Ecogen as the damaging environmental effects of diesel consumption become more widely recognized, the company claimed.
“Some years ago, we embarked on a carbon-efficient journey,” Taylor said. “We realized that an operation of our size can have a major impact on the environment and so we set about creating an integrated low-carbon network. In basic terms, this means working with like-minded businesses whose environmental policies are compatible with our own.”
Taylor predicted Buffaload will reduce its carbon emissions by approximately 400,000 kilograms (441 tons) once all its Ecogen systems are up and running. He also said the company’s fleet of refrigerated double-deckers, expected he expects to reach 300 trailers later this year, will meet increasingly stringent urban restrictions on polluting vehicles after Hultsteins’ electric generators are installed on every tractor.
“This is not just about the obvious advantages of reduced running costs, but more to do with our contribution to a healthy UK environment, the air we breathe and global warming in general,” Taylor said. “Now is the time to make a difference, and for our part, Hultsteins and Ecogen are already making an impact.”
Buffaload is looking for a return on investment in 21 months, and no additional maintenance is anticipated using Ecogen, which was developed by Cold Connect CEO Stephen Maile, one of the UK’s leading pioneers in electrical generators for transport refrigeration. Hultsteins acquired Cold Connect in 2019.
Ecogen is a slim-fit, hydraulic-drive generator that connects to the engine’s PTO and plugs into any refrigeration unit with mains electric operation. Fuel consumption and emissions are virtually eliminated while generating a constant 400-volt, three-phase electrical power to the same standard as the mains supply.
“We changed the name over the door, but apart from that, we continue to manufacture our systems and Ecogen to ensure Euro 6 Emission standard is met for the cooling system as well as the truck, here in the UK the same way as before,” Maile said. “Hultsteins’ sustainable solutions are working for retailers and operators in several European countries and we are delighted that Buffaload is leading the way, here in the UK.”
