West Horsley Dairy
Surrey’s West Horsley Dairy has launched what could well be Britain’s most environmentally-friendly refrigerated truck.
The eye-catching FUSO Canter Eco Hybrid has a diesel-electric drivetrain that offers valuable fuel savings and correspondingly lower CO2 emissions, compared to a standard diesel-engined vehicle.
Meanwhile, instead of a traditional air blown fridge, its insulated body is chilled by a highly reliable eutectic system that does not require a power source while deliveries are being made, so produces no carbon or noise pollution.
7.5-tonne chassis was supplied by local Mercedes-Benz Dealer Rossetts Commercials – the manufacturer’s GB network is additionally responsible for sales and support of the popular Canter light truck range.
Family-owned West Horsley Dairy recently presented the new truck to staff, customers and other guests during a party at the Thorpe Park Resort, held to celebrate its 21st anniversary.
The Woking-based company was founded by husband-and-wife team Catherine and Philip Colton, who remain at the helm as Joint Managing Directors. Its fleet of 40 temperature-controlled 7.5-tonne trucks and vans is used to deliver an extensive range of high-quality dairy and chilled food products to hotels and restaurants, contract caterers, schools, colleges and universities, and other independent customers throughout London and the Home Counties.
The FUSO Canter Eco Hybrid is the world’s first diesel-electric truck to make economic as well as environmental sense. The model’s 110 kW (150 hp) diesel engine works in parallel with a state-of-the-art, slimline, 40 kW (54 hp) electric motor. Having set off using electric power alone, the vehicle switches to a combination of diesel and electric operation once a speed of around 6 mph (10 km/h) has been reached. Depending on the power demand, the electric motor also supports the diesel at higher speeds. Switches between modes are seamless and require no input from the driver.
The vehicle’s insulated body was built by Jackson Coachworks, of Loughborough, and features its ‘eistechnik’ eutectic refrigeration system. Eutectic refrigeration is based on the principle of latent heat – a special gel is frozen down to the required temperature at the depot overnight, then, while deliveries are made the following day, gives out energy as it thaws in the form of cold air, thus refrigerating the area around it.
The truck will be maintained at Rossetts Commercials’ Aldershot workshop, while the Dealer’s handover specialist Terry Crowhurst has delivered one-to-one training for main driver Lukask Korkuc and some of his colleagues.
West Horsley Dairy’s first FUSO Canter is now on multi-drop delivery work in central London. The Canter’s compact external dimensions and manoeuvrability make it ideally suited to urban operations, while it also offers the highest body and payload allowance of any 7.5-tonner on the market.
The light weight of its electric motor and lithium-ion batteries – which are covered by a 10-year, unlimited mileage FUSO Warranty – means the hybrid version tips the scales at just 160 kg more than the standard Canter. But the resulting 5.0-tonne body and payload allowance still leaves conventionally powered rivals in the shade.
Philip Colton comments: “By investing in this innovative new vehicle not only are we demonstrating our own responsibility to the environment, but we are also supporting customers who are constantly looking to increase the sustainability of their own operations. The truck is going into the City every day and after just two weeks on the road has already created enormous interest.
“Given the short distance, stop-start nature of the work, and the traffic congestion in London, it’s never going to be the most fuel-efficient of delivery routes,” continues Mr Colton. “But following the driver-training delivered by Rossetts, we’re definitely starting to see improved mpg figures compared to the vehicle that was on the same job previously.”
Catherine Colton adds: “The Canter is running on partial electric power for much of the time it’s in the City, so it’s here that the real benefits are to be found. Recognition from Transport for London, in the form of a reduction in the daily £10 Congestion Charge we pay as a fleet operator, to reflect the commitment to the environment that we’ve demonstrated, would be very much appreciated.”
« Back |
