Newly designed refrigeration trucks could save thousands of tonnes of carbon emissions according to XL Fleet, an environmental development company.
The newly designed trucks built by the company come with solar panels attached to the roof which produce electricity that maintains the cold temperatures required for food transportation. The energy is then stored in auxiliary batteries which are used to power the refrigeration system and other electronics on the vehicles.
Normally refrigeration trucks use diesel fuel to maintain colder temperatures, something that the new panels eliminate, thereby cutting the carbon-footprint of every company making a purchase from the business.
Around 50,000 refrigerated vehicles are sold every year in the United States.
What is useful about these devices is the fact that they can be attached to any refrigerated vehicle, even those that are pulled by conventional vehicles that burn petrol and diesel. This means that companies can cut their carbon footprint immediately, without having to replace their entire fleets.
The first vehicles are to be road-bound in 2022.
Dimitri Kazarinoff, CEO of XL Fleet told reporters:
"We have been collaborating with eNow on critical engineering elements of this exciting next generation electrified refrigerated trailer offering for some time now, and continue to be impressed by the team's technology, ingenuity and shared passion for sustainability. This partnership will change the way the transportation industry thinks about energy and refrigerated transportation."
Cutting carbon emissions is a key task for every business and government across the world as a means of combating climate change. The burning of fossil fuels such as oil and coal emits carbon into the atmosphere which traps heat from the Sun and warms the planet. This can result in freak weather, melting ice caps and a series of other devastating natural events.
World leaders will meet in Glasgow in November to discuss how best to cut carbon emissions, and it is hoped that new technologies such as these vehicles will play a part in the global fight.
[h/t: Good News Network]
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