Vehicle rental business Petit Forestier has taken delivery of five all-electric Renault Kangoo vans as it works towards its goal to use more environmentally friendly refrigerated transport.
Each vehicle has been specified with Carrier Transicold’s ultra-slim NEOS 100 refrigeration system. Usually, the all-electric refrigeration unit runs on power from the vehicle’s alternator but because the new electric Kangoo vans do not use an alternator, the units are powered by an autonomous lithium-ion power source, supplied by Perpetual V2G Systems.
“Using a standalone power source for the NEOS units provides up to seven hours of cooling power – depending on the use and application of the vehicle – and a range of around 110 miles,” said Pat Skelly, managing director of Petit Forestier. “If we were relying on the vehicle batteries to drive both the van and the fridge, the range plummets to just 60 miles, which wouldn’t be sufficient for many applications.”
Perpetual’s batteries have a separate charging point and are small and light so have minimal impact on the vehicle.
Petit Forestier is using one of the five vehicles as a demonstrator; the other four will go on longer term trials with key customers. The company plans to add to the first five electric vans over the coming months, with a larger 3.5-tonne electric vehicle and an 18-tonne expected later this year.