Danish Crown's new electric refrigerated trailers for CO2 reduction
When products such as pork roast, ham and bacon in future roll out from Danish Crown to consumers all over the world, some of these will be transported in refrigerated trailers powered by electricity rather than diesel. As part of Danish Crown's collaboration with DFDS, the food group is now using three electric refrigerated trailers.
"It is a first step on the road to making the transport of our products greener. The technology is still very new, and we want to help test and develop it. With three trailers, both we and DFDS will gain valuable experience, so that we can hopefully over a number of years switch all transport to electric refrigerated trailers", says Lars Feldskou, Group Purchasing Director at Danish Crown.
Instead of a diesel tank, the 13.6 meter long refrigerated trailer has a large battery, so the refrigerated trailer does not emit CO2 on its own. The battery can operate the refrigerated trailer for up to 3.5 hours. At the same time, the middle of the three axles on the trailer is equipped with a generator, which charges the battery as soon as the speed is over 20 kilometers per hour.
The truck that pulls the refrigerated trailer uses a little more fuel than if the refrigerated trailer has its own diesel generator, but the total consumption is significantly reduced. Behind the concept is several years of development and in engineering language, it is about utilizing the kinetic energy that arises while driving. How much fuel is saved more precisely under Danish conditions, and how much CO2 emissions are thus reduced, there are no precise data yet. This is something that Danish Crown and DFDS have set out to uncover.
"At DFDS, we work with the green transition based on the fact that it is first and foremost about becoming wiser about exactly what creates the best results. By constantly testing new methods and technologies in close and agile partnerships, we believe we are moving forward faster. In collaboration with Danish Crown, we use a well-known technology in a completely new way and see it as an investment in producing knowledge, including how we create the optimal processes and solutions that can benefit many more in the long run. track", says Martin Gade Gregersen, who is responsible for refrigerated transport in DFDS.
The refrigerated trailer is produced by German Krone and the refrigeration machine by French Carrier Transicold and has a battery that can be charged in just two hours. Although both the battery and the generator have a significant weight, the new trailers are lighter than the current trailers when they are fully refueled with diesel oil.
At the same time, the new trailers have the great advantage that they make much less noise than diesel-powered refrigerated trailers (approx. 60 dB (A), which corresponds to the level of, for example, a washing machine. traffic in urban areas is relieved during the day.
"We believe that there are great prospects in the electric refrigerated trailers, and therefore we invest in the project together with DFDS. Transport actually accounts for the second largest load in our supply chain, so therefore electric refrigerated trailers may play an important role in the future", says Lars Feldskou.
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