After handing off the first to Foodstuffs North Island last year, Fairfax is getting ready to deliver the second of its fully autonomous, all-electric, engineless refrigerated trailers.

The Fairfax ZE (zero emissions) trailer combines cutting-edge technology from Transcold, Carrier, Addvolt and SAF-Holland, in which chilled and frozen products can be delivered to market without producing harmful emissions.

Currently in production, the next trailer is being manufactured for Big Chill Distribution. The trailer is the same that was built for Foodstuffs, with only a slight difference in battery capacity.

The heart of the Fairfax ZE is its all-electric eCool refrigeration system by Carrier, powered by a SAF-Holland generator axle. Supplied by Transcold, the design eliminates the need for a traditional diesel engine, resulting in zero tailpipe emissions and reduced energy consumption in standby mode.

John Stevens, Fairfax Auckland/Christchurch operations manager, says the solution transforms how chilled and frozen goods are transported across the country while significantly reducing environmental impact and service costs to the operator. “We continually invest in research and development to deliver innovative and practical solutions to our clients.” John says because the Carrier e-Cool engineless refrigeration system been running in Europe and Australia for five years, and with Foodstuffs having theirs on the road as well for the last 10 months, Big Chill wasn’t taking a big leap into the unknown.

“The technology is already proven, and it’s proven very well,” he says. “It gives us as a company confidence to go and sit in front of people and say, ‘Hey, look at this option.’ “If you’re a like-minded business who wants to be a part of this change – of lower emissions – it’s easy to talk about.”

The ZE trailer certainly provides an option on this path. “We know that a lot of CO2 is pumped into the air from trucks and from trailers as well, so it’s a big old carbon footprint from our industry. Options like the ZE trailer means there is a lot of CO2 saved from going into the atmosphere.”

In fact, customers are able to use an app that is attached to the trailer where they can draw down on a whole lot of information, including the number of hours it has run on the road, hours that it has run off land-base power, the amount of fuel it has saved over that period, and the amount of CO2 that has been saved from going into the atmosphere.

The trailer will feature at this month’s Fieldays, and John says it’s a great opportunity to get in front of customers. “It will help make people aware of what technologies are available now and how it’s a pretty simple step if you want to go down that green path.