With the launch of its new Flex Power dual-voltage option, Carrier Transicold said it has further improved refrigerated operations by enabling its Vector trailer refrigeration units to now use either low- or high-voltage power sources when parked for loading, unloading or staging.
Compared to running refrigeration units on diesel, electric standby offers lower operating costs, fuel conservation and elimination of diesel engine emissions and noise, Carrier Transicold added.
On the highway, a diesel engine-powered generator provides electricity for the Vector unit’s all-electric refrigeration system. When parked, the built-in electric standby capability enables the unit to be plugged into an electric power source. Until now, Vector electric-standby required 460-volt power exclusively, but the Flex Power option enables them to now also tap 208 to 230 volt sources, the maker said.
“The Flex Power option means fleets and distribution centers are no longer restricted to a single voltage when it comes to standby power,” said Kevin Williams, trailer product manager, Carrier Transicold. “The new option allows a Flex Power-equipped trailer to plug into 460-volt power at one location, and then be moved to a different location and plugged into 230-volt power, and so on, providing fleets greater operational flexibility.”
The unit option consists of a specially designed step-up transformer that has no moving parts and is built for the rigors of trucking, according to Carrier Transicold. Users may power the unit by plugging low-voltage power into the Flex Power receptacle, or plugging higher voltage power directly into the Vector unit. Regardless of which voltage is used, the Vector unit delivers identical high cooling capacity, the company added.
The Flex Power option is available for Carrier’s hybrid diesel-electric Vector 6500 single-temperature unit, the Vector 6600MT multi-temperature unit and the engineless Vector 5100 designed for stationary use only. It also may be used with Carrier’s original Vector 1800MT multi-temperature unit, and it will be compatible with Carrier’s 2013 Vector units, designed for compliance with the latest EPA Tier 4 requirements.
