Thermo King has introduced the Advancer S trailer refrigeration unit following its premiere at IAA Transportation 2026. The new unit uses R-454A refrigerant and is designed to reduce refrigerant global warming potential (GWP) while maintaining the temperature control, fuel efficiency and operational performance of the A-Series portfolio.
According to Thermo King, R-454A reduces refrigerant GWP by more than 90% compared with R-452A. The Advancer S maintains the A-Series portfolio’s cooling capacity, rapid pulldown, and fuel and power efficiency.
The unit includes Advancer EcoMode, which can reduce diesel consumption by up to 50% compared with continuous mode. Designed to work with different power sources, Advancer S can also be integrated with AxlePower energy recovery technology or modular battery packs for hybrid and fully electric operation.
Advancer S has independent, third-party Life Cycle Assessment certification covering its carbon footprint from raw material sourcing and manufacturing through operation and end-of-life recycling. Thermo King said the data can support environmental reporting, Scope 3 emissions measurement and tracking against corporate sustainability targets.
The unit also incorporates automated refrigerant leak detection and concentration monitoring as part of its risk management system. Advancer S single-temperature units are now available across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
“To accommodate the low-GWP refrigerant, and maintain the performance, we fully re-engineered the Advancer architecture,” said Juan Urmeneta, Product Management Leader, Thermo King EMEA. “LCA certification shows that up to 86% of a unit’s lifetime emissions stem from operation, primarily fuel consumption, while the refrigerant accounts for just 10% to 20%. This highlights why it has been critical to transition refrigerants without sacrificing ongoing fuel and energy efficiency.”
