The groundbreaking Dearman-Hubbard transport refrigeration unit (TRU) is to start a month-long European tour to visit major fleet operators across the continent.
The tour will seek to demonstrate the benefits of the Dearman-Hubbard TRU in terms of being zero-emission, quieter than diesel TRUs, and having a fast pull-down time.
Fitted on a Paneltex trailer, the European Tour will showcase the Dearman-Hubbard TRU to 15 fleet operators and logistics firms in 5 countries – Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, France and Belgium.
Notably, the French Government was tasked with producing a plan by the Conseil d’État (Council of State) to bring harmful nitrogen dioxide and PM10 emission in line with EU limits by 2018, and similarly other European cities have set tough air quality targets – Antwerp, Belgium have already banned older diesel vehicles within its “low emission zone”.
With air pollution moving up the agenda, an increasingly tough regulatory climate for diesel means fleet operators are seeking cleaner TRUs.
Diesel TRUs can emit up to six times as much nitrogen oxide (NOx) and 29 times as much particulate matter (PM) as a heavy goods vehicle’s Euro 6 main engine. In contrast, a Dearman-Hubbard TRU eliminates all NOx and PM emissions.
Leading UK retailers such as Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer have already successfully deployed the Dearman-Hubbard TRU, alongside global food manufacturer Unilever who hailed it a “great partnership” and “resounding success”.
Commenting, Dearman’s Vice-President for European Sales, Jan de Waard, said:
“We’re very excited to be taking the groundbreaking Dearman-Hubbard TRU to visit 15 fleet operators across five European countries. With increasing realisation of how polluting diesel is, there is a rising demand for clean technologies like ours.
The Dearman-Hubbard TRU has a number of proven benefits, not least being zero emission and far quieter in comparison to diesel equivalents. It has also been successfully deployed in the UK and in the Netherlands already, which will give confidence to the fleet operators we will be meeting and demonstrating it to.
We have a highly innovative and award-winning TRU, and with a toughening regulatory climate, we stand ready to help companies who want to get ahead of the curve."
