Mitsubishi Heavy Industries with New Cooling System for Trailers

Zero Emission for 40-Ton Refrigerated Semi-Trailers: This is made possible by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Transport Europe GmbH (MTTE) with their new cooling machine TEF 1500. The fully electric cooling system for trailers was presented to the professional audience for the first time at the IAA Transportation 2024 and will be available in 2025. It is powered by an external battery pack providing the necessary electrical energy.

(Osnabrück) “With our new E-cooling machine, we are now enabling our customers to switch to emission-free cooling in the trailer segment,” says MTTE Managing Director Björn Reckhorn. “In combination with a zero-emission truck, users can now operate the entire refrigerated train without local emissions using the TEF 1500.” Mitsubishi customers do not have to compromise on performance with the electric variant. The TEF 1500 offers exactly the same cooling performance as the diesel variant TFV 150. Additionally, the electric variant stands out with lower total cost of ownership (TCO) compared to conventional diesel cooling machines. One of the first users is MTTE customer Nagel Group. The first trailer with the new TEF 1500 from Mitsubishi was put into operation in the summer.

Especially Suitable for Fresh Service at 2 to 6 Degrees

The electric unit TEF 1500 is considered the flagship in Mitsubishi’s fully electric “Preciso” portfolio and is available with various battery sizes. Like the diesel variant, the TEF 1500 also offers a maximum cooling capacity of 14,600 watts. The electric unit is particularly designed for the fresh service sector with a target temperature of 2 to 6 degrees Celsius. For the deep-freeze sector, the TEF 1500 provides 8,090 watts of cooling capacity. Notably, it achieves complete defrosting within 3 minutes in the deep-freeze sector, offering the shortest defrost time in its device class.

Not only does it excel in cooling, but the system also scores points in heating with improved device efficiency compared to conventional system concepts. The higher efficiency results from an optimized heat pump system that provides up to approximately 17,157 watts of heating power.

Excellent Energy Efficiency

The excellent energy efficiency of the TEF 1500 is based, like its sister model TFV 150, on the integrated inverter system, which always optimally controls the compressor speed for efficiency. The compressor and the internal/external fan motors are electrically driven. Independently operating fans provide constant maximum air performance at all operating points. Good for the environment is not only the zero-emission drive of the TEF 1500 but also the use of refrigerant R410A in the unit: this means a lower greenhouse gas potential with a GHG value of 2090.

Photo: © MTTE