On 17 September 2024, CTK visited IAA Hannover to keep ourselves updated with what's new in the Transport Refrigeration industry. The IAA took place in Hannover Messe, and saying it's a huge venue is an understatement!
From morning til noon we are immersed in so many new technologies, machines, parts, and knowledge in the automotive industries - and we loved it. From that long awesome day, here are what we can breakdown for you:
Trending in Transport Refrigerations
- All eyes are really on environmental sustainability now! Many brands put their carbon emission-reducing technologies and units at the center of their IAA booths and presence. You can see it in Thermo King's E-series debut, or Carrier Transicold highlighting their 25 years in E-drive technology.
- However, none of the three major brands focus on climate neutral refrigeration gases, their focus seems to only be on the emissions from their diesel. The only climate-neutral gas solution is used by Ecooltec with their dual circuit system to use CO2 as a refrigerant, and the hydrocarbon refrigerant (R1270*) as a complementary circuit to bring the pressure down for the CO2.
*Now, R1270 is Propylene, which has lower environmental impact, but the downside is it is flammable substance - however, with strict safety protocols it can be used, and the amount in the system is relatively low to make it dangerous. - New/Old: Battery that powers the refrigeration unit is now charged by trailers' axle. All three major brands have their "own" axles that can charge the battery.
Questions unanswered:
- Why don't Thermo King just use Frigoblock's generator from tractor/truck to charge the batteries? Why is it that a new product - an axle - is needed for charging; which brings us to the next question: How much less expensive is, or more profit does an axle bring to refrigeration brands?
- Why isn't the battery ditched to power the refrigeration unit, and use a generator on the axle and diesel on stationary?
- Where are climate friendly refrigeration gases which are already popular in the HVAC industry?
Many questions are not only to the brands themselves but to the EU Commission as well. Right now, there's too much focus on the CO2 and NOx ('Nitrogen Oxides') emissions, meanwhile the transport refrigeration industry emits a lot of refrigerant gas which affect the ozone layer.
Now we're super curious about these emissions, and if you are too, you can check out our other post on the EU's Emission Zones to learn about it together with us!
Cool Stuff We Found in IAA
From a rocking truck to a 'meeting room' truck, we found them all. Click. the arrows in the gallery below to check them out!
That's all for now, we hope you enjoyed the highlights, and stay tuned on our Instagram, Newsletter, and Blog for future updates!
Ps. We're going to review the transport refrigeration booths in separate blog posts, make sure you read them!
