Austria's First Hydrogen-Powered Truck Cooled by Carrier Transicold’s Electric Refrigeration Technology

Austrian supermarket chain MPREIS has started field trials of the country’s first hydrogen-powered truck for deliveries to its supermarkets in Tyrol. The tractor semitrailer truck, which is operated by Innsbruck-based JuVe AutoMotion GmbH (JuVe), is equipped with Carrier Transicold’s all-electric refrigeration technology. 

The Carrier Transicold Vector bulkhead cooling unit can be operated entirely electrically thanks to its innovative E-Drive technology. The tractor unit is fitted with a Carrier Transicold power box, which has an efficiency of more than 95% and converts the 700-volt direct current of the fuel cell drive into 400-volt three-phase current to operate the cooling system in the semitrailer.

"Using the power box module, we can also operate the customer’s existing fleet of refrigerated trailers equipped with Carrier Transicold refrigeration units with the new fuel cell vehicles without any further conversions," said Thomas Thaler, Managing Director of JuVe. "The combination of fuel cell drive and electric cooling has an unbeatably favorable carbon dioxide (CO2) balance."

The tractor unit is equipped with a 120-kW fuel cell and two batteries, each with 70 kWh, for a total capacity of 140 kWh. While the fuel cell provides sufficient power for propulsion and cooling during most of the driving operation, the batteries provide support during peak loads, such as when driving uphill.

Later this year, JuVe also plans to put its first fuel cell-powered rigid truck into operation equipped with Carrier Transicold’s Syberia engineless refrigeration system. As with the semitrailers, the cooling unit will be supplied with power from the fuel cell via the power box.

JuVE specializes in the development and distribution of a hydrogen service infrastructure and the operation of a fuel cell truck fleet. The pilot customer MPREIS has approximately 300 stores and a fleet of approximately 40 trucks. JuVe plans to operate around 25 additional fuel cell vehicles on behalf of other customers.