March 11, 2015 Vol. 12 No. 5

The Work Truck Show gets bigger every year, and last week’s 2015 version set attendance records, by all accounts. Operated by the National Truck Equipment Association, its 500-plus vocational truck and equipment exhibitors were spread out over 500,000 sq ft at the IndianaConvention Center in Indianapolis. While unfortunate circumstances meant that I couldn’t be there, I know that a very broad array of interesting gizmology greeted attendees. And through the wonders of the internet, helped as well by a couple of colleagues and friends who did make the trip, I’ve managed to take a virtual tour.

A couple of things strike me: one, that innovation is alive and well and more likely to be seen at this show than any other; and two, that hybrid powertrains haven’t gone anywhere despite what you may think. I’ll get to those in a minute.

First, let’s talk solar power. I’m firmly of the belief that there is much untapped potential here, and one Rhode Island company exhibiting at the NTEA show is acting on that idea. That’s eNow Inc., which seems to be quite well advanced in adapting sun power to various trucking jobs from refrigeration to liftgates and on to emergency lighting, but most usefully to HVAC systems.

In fact, the company has a strategic partnership deal with Bergstrom, which makes climate control systems for the commercial vehicle industry, not just trucks. Its battery-powered NITE no-idle systems are able to generate pretty high BTU cooling capacity without burning fuel and sending pollutants into the air.

The eNow solar-based auxiliary power systems are specifically designed for the transportation industry, including medium- and heavy-duty trucks, buses, and military vehicles.

The system generates power using the company’s proprietary solar system, which stores it in on-board batteries and distributes to various truck/trailer functions – like Bergstrom battery-powered no-idle units – when needed. The company’s solar charging systems range from 30 watts for keeping batteries charged to 6400 watts for refrigeration applications.

As part of the agreement, signed in 2013, the two companies will market their complimentary products – which are both CARB approved – to the no-idle industry in North America and Europe. Bergstrom’s battery-powered products have been on the market for some time, the solar option more recently.