Webasto combines heating and cooling systems in C5 Truck

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Webasto is combining its new Air Top 2000 ST heating unit with its BlueCool Truck air conditioner to provide drivers with a year-round complete climate control option.

The company announced the availability of the C5 Truck during the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky. The two units were previously available separately, but in an effort to further reduce idling time for drivers, Webasto has packaged the products into a complete cabin climate comfort control (the five C’s) system.

“With the integration of these systems, Webasto has made it easier for owner/operators and fleet owners to get complete idle-free bunk comfort in their trucks,” said Don Kanneth, director of sales services, heavy-duty division at Webasto.

The new version of the Air Top 2000 operates for up to 20 hours using one gallon of fuel. The heater complies with the latest government emissions regulations and is approved to handle consumption of biodiesel fuel, up to a 20 per cent blend.

“We had a lot of enquiries from the bus operations about that and also quite a few enquiries from the heavy-duty market,” noted Kanneth.

The improved Air Top 2000 has also been outfitted with a new fan design, a self-cleaning evaporative burner, single ceramic ignition technology, sealed electrical control for external mounting and an optional ventilation mode.

“The optional ventilation allows the driver to get a new ventilation factor, running it as a furnace or as a straight fan,” explained Kanneth.

The shoebox-sized heater carries a weight just under six-lbs and draws about 2.5 amps per hour at 12V. In comparison, the cooling portion of the C5 Truck weighs approximately 350-lbs and draws 3.5 to 10 amps while operating.

The BlueCool component is designed to cool and dehumidify the sleeper and is charged, or frozen, while the truck is running, creating a total of 17,000 Btu of thermal storage. The C5 Truck system should take about seven to eight hours to install and the manufacturers list for the heating and cooling product is about $4200.

Designed specifically to control the climate inside the sleeper to reduce idling time and does not carry the capacity to run other electronic devices inside the cabin.

“You have to consider what the cost of providing electricity means to you,” noted Joe Kirby, sales manager, heavy-duty division at Webasto. “This is the most cost effective way to produce hot and cold air inside the truck.”

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