Frigoblock keeping new Mercedes-Benz eActros cool
Frigoblock, a transport refrigeration unit manufacturer and a brand of Thermo King, is supplying its all-electric refrigeration technology to Mercedes-Benz to cool the first near-series battery-powered eActros trucks that recently started practical operations in Germany and Netherlands.
This project is a result of a close collaboration between Frigoblock and Daimler Trucks to offer customers a sustainable refrigeration technology that can seamlessly work with the new Mercedes-Benz eActros vehicles, according to Frigoblock.
“Furthering sustainable innovation in electric transport refrigeration is the core of what Frigoblock stands for,” said Ingo Kaltwasser, chassis OEM manager for Frigoblock EMEA.
“We have worked closely with the engineering teams at Mercedes-Benz Trucks to adapt the Frigoblock technology and meet the precise energy needs of the new eActros vehicle.
“This project builds on our decades-long relationship with Daimler, and we’re proud to move the industry another step towards a CO2-neutral refrigerated transport.”
Using integrated inverter technology, electric Frigoblock refrigeration units are designed to work directly with the battery-powered vehicles, minimising the number of energy-consuming components.
This allows for most optimal use the vehicles’ battery capacity and contributes to maximising the truck’s range.
To meet the electrical requirements of the new eActros, Frigoblock designed a new CAN-Bus-Gateway system for direct communication between the truck and the cooling system.
The intelligent control efficiently manages the energy demand of the unit using only the minimal energy needed to maintain the set-point temperature.
The redesigned CAN-Gateway system also ensures additional electrical safety, independently shutting down the refrigeration unit in case of an electrical emergency.
Kaltwasser added that this refrigeration unit will be able to contribute to increasing the EV’s range and make this “sustainable, CO2 neutral cold chain logistics solution even more operationally efficient”.