CoolKit is responding to rapidly growing demand for refrigerated electric vehicles for their customers who are looking to realise the exciting and potentially lucrative benefits of operating this type of vehicle. Commensurately, they have invested heavily into understanding these vehicles and how best to convert them into reliable and durable refrigerated vehicles.
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Electrification is universally recognised as a rapidly growing alternative source of vehicle power. Indeed, the government has set a clear long-term ambition for all new cars and vans to be zero emission by 2040, and for nearly every car and van to be zero emission by 2050. In addition to those factors, electric vehicles are proving especially popular with low mileage users – not because of driving range limitations, but because diesel fuelled vehicles are prone to expensive DPF failures if they aren’t driven for long enough to facilitate proper regeneration.
Since 2005, CoolKit has converted numerous electric vehicles for temperature controlled use, including close collaborations with Renault UK which was showcased on their Kangoo ZE exhibited at this year’s UK Commercial Vehicle Show. By working closely with technology providers that can provide the right solutions to their customers individual needs, CoolKit have substantially increased their knowledge with each conversion and are now recognised as true sector specialists.
Typical specifications will include an additional array of powerful, low fatigue lithium ion batteries for the purpose of powering an isolated on-board refrigerating system, often arranged with other high technology equipment such as battery protection, data-logging and telemetry systems. The use of independent batteries ensures that their conversion draws no power from the vehicles own battery and therefore crucially has no impact on the real-world driving range promised by the vehicle manufacturer, which is a critical aspect of electric vehicle ownership in overcoming range anxiety.It is also vital that the vehicles own re-charging period is not prolonged by any ancillary equipment and therefore it is an important consideration that any such batteries can be re-charged in a shorter period.
Taking London in particular, one of the major attractions of electric vehicles is their immunity to the Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) regulations which are scheduled to go live in London from 8th April 2019. With London being one of CoolKit’s largest customer areas, it was critical that investigated suitable products for that market, so that CoolKit could continue to satisfy the needs of their customers operating in the region, as well as enabling us to appeal to other fleet operators.
Elsewhere in the UK, from 2020, the most polluting commercial vehicles will be discouraged from driving in designated Clean Air Zones or CAZ’s. The first five of these Zones will include areas of Birmingham, Leeds, Nottingham, Derby and Southampton – where air quality problems are seen to be most serious, and councils will be able to set their own charges for entry into the Zones at levels designed to reduce pollution. It is widely anticipated that pure electric vehicles will be exempt from charges and there is little doubt that there will be more CAZ’s in the years to come.
