US business Caspers Company and Emerald Technology have partnered to release an all-electric kinetic-energy powered semi-trailer refrigeration system to the global transportation industry. The Wedway Refrigeration Power system was placed into service in January 2013 and has been successfully tested with Caspers Company in the Tampa Bay area.
Based on patent pending technology, when in motion, the system powers the refrigeration unit through a mechanical interface mounted on the trailer axle. By capturing the kinetic energy generated by the trailer wheel's rotation, the Wedway provides the energy to run the system continuously and charge the on-board batteries.
When the trailer is stationary, the unit is powered by the lithium ion batteries for eight to 10 hours on standard power cell, or can be plugged into shore power through a commercial 240-volt outlet running indefinitely while charging the batteries.
According to Emerald Technology, the Wedway system uses no independent diesel, CNG engine, meaning there is no fossil fuel, oil or filters to maintain, and zero emissions generated.
“Results of the testing have been excellent,” said Kim Seigler, VP of Caspers Company. “While this has been a monumental task, Emerald has worked tirelessly towards perfecting this technology and is taking steps to move the Wedway into production.”
Emerald Technology say they are foreseeing production-ready units in the second quarter of this year in a limited market with four major companies in the central Florida area. Moreover, Emerald has received global interest in the Wedway Refrigeration Power System.