LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Many in the industry wrongly believe it costs money to green but Carrier Transicold’s David Kiefer used the stage of the continent’s largest truck show to dispel that myth.

Kiefer, Carrier Transicold’s director of marketing and product management, unveiled the Vector® 6500, which he called North America’s first single-temperature trailer refrigeration unit to take advantage of Carrier’s exclusive hybrid diesel-electric Deltek technology.

The Vector 6500 unit’s refrigeration capacity rivals the performance of the top-of-the-line

trailer unit from Carrier’s X2 series, which it closely resembles on the exterior. However the units are very different on the inside.

The Vector 6500’s streamlined electric architecture eliminates many of the serviceable mechanical components found in conventional systems, and substitutes expanded use of electronics and maintenance-free electrical components. The result is a unit that can reduce maintenance costs over its lifetime, compared to conventional mechanical technologies, Kiefer explained.

More importantly, unlike a conventional system that runs all mechanically connected components via belts and pulleys whenever the engine runs, the Vector system only powers components needed at any given time, which can save fuel by reducing the engine load.

“Ever since we introduced the Vector 1800MT unit in 2006, our North American customers have been eagerly awaiting the debut of a single-temperature hybrid suited for today’s 53-foot thin-wall trailers used in long-haul applications,” Kiefer said. “The Vector 6500 will be appreciated by customers interested in taking advantage of green technologies, and especially by those who seek exceptional reliability and low-cost operation – in a sense, ‘saving green,’ too.”

Carrier’s Deltek technology uses a diesel engine to do just one thing: drive a 23 kW electric generator. This rolling power plant generates enough current to run all system components, such as fans and the 6-cylinder 06D semi-hermetic compressor with its electric motor sealed inside. The independent electric-resistance heating elements provide precise temperature control, when heat is required.

Features that enhance the unit’s environmental profile include:

– A clean-burning 2.2-liter direct-injection engine that surpasses the requirements of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Tier 4-interim standard (Tier 4i), and outperforms competitive units with regard to particulate emissions. The same engine used in Carrier’s X2 series, it has better fuel efficiency and is quieter than earlier engines.

–The Vector 6500 can be equipped for electric standby, allowing it to be plugged into grid power when parked rather than running the diesel engine, thus eliminating emissions and fuel consumption, reducing noise and lowering operating costs.

– It uses one-third less refrigerant than a conventional system and has a simplified cooling circuit with approximately half the brazed joints and no compressor shaft seal, significantly improving refrigerant containment.

– Through the elimination of many commonly replaced items, such as belts, there is less

waste destined for landfills.

The Vector 6500 unit also has impact-resistant DuraShell 2 body panels that open all the way to the top of the unit for easy access to interior components during service. It uses Carrier’s, programmable Advance® microprocessor control, which provides the ability to configure up to 30 custom settings for different commodities through its IntelliSet option and offers compatibility with major telematics providers for centralized monitoring and

tracking of refrigerated cargos.