La Société des Transports Biocoop (Biocoop Transport Company) will become the first customer in France to take delivery of Carrier Transicold’s prototype natural refrigeration trailer unit. The system -- winner of the environment category in the prestigious Trailer Innovation Awards 2017 – is featured on a new trailer, which will be displayed at Carrier Transicold’s outdoor stand EXT2 – 008. Carrier Transicold, operating in France as Carrier Transicold France, is part of the UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).
Société de Transport Biocoop, the transportation division that handles distribution for the Biocoop network of stores throughout France, will be testing the new prototype unit in a three-year technology field trial, with the trailer used for regular store deliveries and pick-ups from producers and suppliers. Over the last year, three other natural refrigerant trailer prototype units have seen success in the UK (Sainsbury’s), Germany (Netto Marken Discount) and the Netherlands (Simon Loos).
“Delivering this natural refrigerant trailer prototype into service marks another significant milestone in the development of over-the-road refrigeration using carbon dioxide (CO2),” said David Appel, president, Carrier Transicold & Refrigeration Systems. “Our ultimate vision is to see temperature-controlled units running on natural refrigerant in mainstream production.”
The prototype operates with CO2, which is extracted from the atmosphere and stays inside the refrigeration circuit in a closed loop system to deliver sustainable cooling. It uses advanced technology from Carrier Transicold’s NaturaLINE® container refrigeration system, assembled inside a traditional Vector® unit chassis and powered by the same patented E-Drive® all-electric technology as the existing Vector range. CO2 is a safe and non-ozone depleting gas with a global warming potential of one, making it the baseline against which all other refrigerants currently considered for use in transport refrigeration are measured.
"Sustainable development is at the center of Biocoop’s business strategy,” said Jacques Chapin, director, Société de Transports Biocoop. “When Carrier Transicold proposed a test of the new CO2 prototype refrigeration unit, we immediately wanted to take part in it. The delivery of this prototype unit is great step forward for the transport industry and we are excited about its potential for helping us achieve our environmental and sustainability objectives. "
Biocoop signed the "ADEME CO2 Objective" charter in 2012 – a road transport industry initiative - and reiterated its environmental sustainability commitment in 2015 with a new goal of reducing its CO2 emissions by 5 percent by 2018. Carrier Transicold’s natural refrigerant trailer prototype unit will help them achieve that.
For more information about Carrier Transicold and its products and services, visit http://www.carriertransicold.fr/. Follow us on Twitter: @SmartColdChain
About Carrier Transicold
Carrier Transicold helps improve transport and shipping of temperature controlled cargoes with a complete line of equipment and services for refrigerated transport and cold chain visibility. For more than 45 years, Carrier Transicold has been an industry leader, providing customers around the world with advanced, energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable container refrigeration systems and generators, direct-drive and diesel truck units, and trailer refrigeration systems. Carrier Transicold is part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of the United Technologies Corp. Group, a leading global supplier for the aerospace and construction sectors. For more information, visit: www.carriertransicold.fr. Follow Carrier on Twitter: @SmartColdChain.