Trane Technologies approves renewable diesel fuel for Thermo King® refrigerated transport solutions

Photo: Trane Technologies

Trane Technologies has approved the use of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), also known as renewable diesel, a sustainable fossil-free alternative to diesel fuel in Thermo King® global cold-chain solutions, including refrigerated truck and trailer product lines.

The use of HVO fuel offers a 90 percent reduction in greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions and more than 30 percent in particulate matter while maintaining optimal product performance.

The approval follows thorough testing including a successful pilot with a national food distributor.

HVO is a fossil-free, premium-quality fuel product made of 100 percent renewable raw materials produced by the hydrotreatment of vegetable oils or animal fats.

HVO does not release any new carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and can be used in place of diesel with no modifications to a Thermo King unit’s engine or changes in its preventative-maintenance schedule.

“We are excited to now extend the option of HVO to our customers in the Americas who share our passion for creating a more sustainable world,” said Karin De Bondt, president of Trane Technologies’ Thermo King Americas business. “Through our advanced technologies, with efficient, all-electric-units as well as fossil-free fuels, we are enabling our customers to decarbonize as we continue to execute our strategic roadmap to net zero.”

HVO has previously been approved for Thermo King truck and trailer products operating in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific.

The fuel is also used for unit testing on all assembly lines and customer units at the company’s manufacturing facility in Galway, Ireland.

Thermo King has also committed to delivering all-electric, zero-emission solutions for every segment of the end-to-end cold chain by 2023 in Europe and 2025 in the Americas.

Thermo King’s strategic roadmap to net zero will help advance Trane Technologies’ 2030 sustainability commitments.

This includes the Gigaton Challenge to reduce customer GHG emissions by 1 billion metric tons.