TAMPA, Fla. – Webasto attended the Technology and Maintenance Council meetings to tout its latest engine-off comfort solution – C5.

The system, launched last year, combines Webasto’s BlueCool Truck with its Airtronics 2000 ST heating system to provide bunk heating and cooling without idling. BlueCool Truck is charged while the truck is in motion, creating a solid block of ice.

Thermal energy is stored and then circulated through the cab by small fans when the vehicle is parked. A small amount of 12-volt power is used to power the fans, explained Reid Landis, marketing project specialist with Webasto.

It can provide up to 10 hours of cooling in ambient temperatures of up to 90 F. When it’s cold outside, drivers can use C5 to heat the bunk using Webasto’s Airtronics heating system.

The C5 system has advantages over traditional auxiliary power units because it doesn’t burn any fuel, has zero emissions and costs less, Landis said. The system weighs 326 lbs and no batteries are required. About 26-inches of frame space is required for installation. Cost of operation is about 20 cents per hour and the C5 system dehumidifies the cab as well.

The advantages of having some form of idle-free heating and cooling system are hard to argue against, with diesel hovering around US$2.69 a gallon. However, Landis said the industry is now also taking the environmental benefits of idle-free comfort systems to heart. Idling for just one hour creates 11.2 kg of greenhouse gas emissions, Landis pointed out.

Companies are also installing idle-free comfort systems because of a legislative push to ban idling altogether. Currently, 22 states have idle time stipulations (often at the municipal level), and California’s exemption allowing idling while resting in the sleeper berth is set to expire in January, 2008.

“This is going to have a huge impact on who is doing business in California,” said Landis.

There are also a growing number of no-idle corridors criss-crossing North America.

With that in mind, Webasto is promoting its C5 system as the preferred solution for fleets and O/Os. The company is launching a cross-country tour – primarily in the southern states – to promote its C5 system. The tour started at TMC in Tampa and will end at the company’s new BlueCool installation center in Santa Fe Springs, Cal.

“Truck dealership customers are looking for this type of new technology, but few dealers are fully aware of what’s available, so we wanted to take the technology to them,” explained Landis.

For more information on Webasto’s BlueCool Truck or C5 heating and cooling system, Canadian customers can call 800-667-8900.