Thermo King, a manufacturer of transport temperature control solutions for a variety of mobile applications and a brand of Ingersoll Rand, will offer its transport customers in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa a choice on how and when to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) footprints.
Beginning in January 2015, Thermo King will offer a new line of trailer and self-powered truck units that are energy-efficient and reliable and use a next-generation refrigerant that has about half the global warming potential (GWP) of refrigerant currently used. At the same time, for transport customers who want to transition their existing units, Thermo King will offer replacement service through its dealer network. In 2016, Thermo King will then offer the same benefits with vehicle-powered truck products.
In anticipation of the European Union’s 2014 F-Gas Regulation, Thermo King, in close partnership with refrigerant manufacturer, DuPont, selected R-452A, also known as DuPont Opteon XP44, for this alternative line of transport refrigeration products.
“Since its inception by Thermo King in 1938, the transport refrigeration industry has been using class A1 refrigerants that are safe, non-flammable, and have the lowest toxicity,” said Ray Pittard, president of Thermo King North America, Europe, Middle East, and Africa. “R-452A, when used in our products, is the safest, most environmentally responsible, and technically and commercially viable solution for transport refrigeration applications. Plus, it has about half the GWP of refrigerants currently used today.”
“The new line of Thermo King products offers the same high level of performance as today’s portfolio, including the same cooling capacity, pull-down, and fuel efficiency,” said Dwight Gibson, vice-president, Thermo King Europe, Middle East, and Africa. “In addition, retrofitting current products with the next generation of refrigerant is a compatible solution, which means that operators can increase their return on investment of units they already own with the least amount of rework, lower fuel consumption and emissions, and retain the residual value of the equipment.”
Thermo King will continue to offer its transport customers its current line of transport refrigeration products and ensure that they receive optimum levels of service throughout the products’ lifecycle and until customers are ready to transition.
On September 22, Ingersoll Rand made an environmental commitment to its employees, customers, and shareholders, providing a roadmap to increase energy efficiency and reduce climate impact from its operations and product portfolio by 2030 (with milestones at 2020).
The commitment includes reducing GHG emissions related to its operations by about 35% by 2020; reducing GHG emissions related to its products by 50% by 2020; and investing $500 million in product-related research and development over the next five years to fund the long-term reduction of GHG emissions. This commitment will eliminate approximately 20,850,000 metric tons of CO2e globally by 2020, which is equivalent to the energy used by nearly two million homes in one year.
