Hultsteins UK: seven years of cutting cost and carbon
Hultsteins specialises in sustainable refrigerated transport solutions, offering two main product categories – Ecofridge and Ecogen – which are both manufactured in Sweden.
When Hultsteins entered the UK market as Hultsteins UK during 2019, conversations around decarbonisation within the refrigerated transport sector were still in the early stages, says the company.
“Back in 2019 sustainability credentials were nice to have, but not a necessity to win over customers or a focal point in refrigerated transport procurement. Most refrigerated fleet operators were heavily reliant on auxiliary diesel transport refrigeration units, with these being the standard choice for the majority of fridge operators.
“Today, most operators are aware of the need to be more sustainable, however many are unsure of how to act now to do so. This is because many newer technologies are at a premium price point, some of the infrastructure is still developing, and some are of the opinion that technologies need to be industry tested further.”
Hultsteins has been manufacturing hydraulic refrigeration units for over 60 years. These units are powered by the Euro 6 diesel rigid truck engine using a power take off (PTO) mounted at the back of the engine. Depending on truck make and model, Intelli-Start is also available; this technology allows the fridge to take control of the vehicle engine whilst the driver is out of the locked cab to maintain set box temperatures.
The main benefit of choosing a Hultsteins hydraulic refrigeration unit over an auxiliary diesel TRU is that the secondary diesel fridge engine is not required, says Hultsteins.
“Operators can reduce diesel costs by 60 to 80 per cent dependent on operation, by only fuelling one engine, therefore substantially cutting operating costs,” the firm added.
“For operators who run fridge trailers who feel like they want to make a change but are not ready to purchase new electric fridge trailer units, Hultsteins offer Ecogen. Ecogen is a hydraulic electric generator which is fitted to the tractor unit. Ecogen can be retrofitted to existing Scania, Renault or Volvo tractor units. For all other marks of truck, just specify an engine PTO at the time of ordering the tractor unit.
“By taking power from the back of the tractor unit engine via a power take off (PTO), diesel fridge trailers can be run via their electric standby whilst out on the road using Ecogen. By bypassing the dirty diesel fridge engine, this also provides substantial cost savings through reduced diesel use and lower emissions.”
Alongside its own range, Hultsteins also offers additional products such as Orbcomm temperature telematics, which aids operators in temperature compliance, and Masterveil air curtains which are said to reduce the amount of air lost through door openings by up to 70 per cent, helping to improve operational efficiency with multi drop locations.
