Thermo King, a manufacturer of transport temperature control solutions for a variety of mobile applications and a brand of Ingersoll Rand, presented the Antelope Valley Transit Authority (AVTA) with the Energy Leader Award at the American Public Transit Association (APTA) Expo. The award recognizes AVTA for its pioneering efforts in adopting an all-electric heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, leading to a measurable impact in its bus fleet’s energy efficiency, said the company.
Thermo King annually recognizes organizations around the world that have shown significant achievements in efficiency and sustainability with the Energy Efficiency Leader Award. Presented to leaders that have achieved environmental successes, the award recognizes those within the temperature-controlled transportation, quality indoor environment and production industries.
“We are honored to be recognized by Thermo King for our commitment to energy efficiency, as we take environmental responsibility seriously,” said ATVA board chair Norm Hickling. “We were very pleased to be able to play a leadership role in the development of this energy efficient solution for the bus industry.”
AVTA partnered with Thermo King to pilot a first generation all-electric HVAC system in a standard diesel driven bus, originally designed for a conventional HVAC system. A second generation, fuel-efficient system was later developed based on learnings from AVTA’s field tests, eventually leading to the integration of all-electric HVAC systems into ATVA’s fleet.
“Thermo King was proud to partner with AVTA to create innovative transportation solutions that contribute to a more sustainable planet,” said Steve Johnson, product manager bus HVAC at Thermo King. “Thermo King created the Energy Efficiency Award to share innovative examples and best practices of leaders within the industry and we know that AVTA’s commitment to energy efficiency has inspired others fleets to adopt this technology.”
The alternator powered all-electric HVAC unit supplies high voltage power to electric HAVC units using alternators driven by standard diesel bus engines. These all-electric HVAC units save fuel by eliminating the effect of variable engine RPM on load and demand. They also use R407c, an energy efficient refrigerant.
