French OEM, Chereau, handed over the keys for its first hydrogen refrigerated semi-trailer, ROAD, at its Ducey site in France earlier this month.
This handover on 4 July, according to Chereau, marked the beginning of the last phase of a large-scale collaborative project over three years, bringing together many partners and requiring an investment of €5.5 million.
ROAD is entering its final phase with testing in operational conditions. Malherbe is the carrier that will reportedly carry out the tests.
Refrigerated Optimised Advanced Design (ROAD)is a collaborative effort that started in September 2016. The vehicle features a lighter chassis due to the use of innovative design and materials; the trailer is optimised to minimise aerodynamic drag; body insulation has excellent thermal performance; there are on-board hydrogen fuel cells for clean power; electric refrigeration units that use carbon dioxide as a refrigerant; and interconnected electrical equipment to reduce energy consumption as well as improve ergonomics for the vehicle operator. On top of all those innovations, this project is introducing additional safety features that benefit the driver from automated lighting to programming conditions that lock the brakes when loading/unloading.
Before setting off with temperature-controlled goods, the ROAD vehicle had to be recharged with hydrogen at a station in Saint-Lô.
“We would like to thank once again all our partners who have contributed to the realisation of this major project, which paves the way for a new era in refrigerated transport,” said Chereau Marketing and Communications Director, Christophe Danton.