National food service provider Reynolds – which began as a greengrocer in Hackney in 1945 and remains under family ownership – has taken delivery of five Mercedes-Benz Actros tractor units fitted with Hultsteins Ecogen 2 refrigeration systems.
The company operates a fleet of 220 vehicles, comprising 30 vans and 190 HGVs, along with 21 trailers, all of which are refrigerated. It runs a hub and spoke operation from its headquarters and national distribution centre in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, delivering to eight depots throughout the country, followed by last-mile deliveries.
As part of its efforts to improve sustainability – which have so far included investing in electric vehicles and a zero-carbon farm – the firm is cutting the emissions of its transport refrigeration units (TRUs) and slashing diesel costs with the Ecogen 2 systems.
The Ecogen 2 system can be retrofitted to any tractor unit with an engine power take-off and converts existing diesel TRUs to run on electricity. It generates 400 volts and connects to the fridge motor via a five-pin plug.
As well as adapting TRUs to emissions-free power, the Ecogen system represents a highly cost-effective method for operators to adopt cleaner refrigeration systems, because there is no requirement to replace existing trailers or TRUs.
The tractor units have entered service with Reynolds and Steve conservatively estimates that each Ecogen 2 unit will save at least £5,000 per year in diesel costs and more than 1,900kg of CO2 per annum.
