Sept. 11, 2013: Refrigerated Trucks to Keep Their Cool with Fuel Cells
Trucks Equipped with Hydrogen Fuel Cells to Make Deliveries in Three Markets
RICHLAND, Wash. — Grocery merchants in California, New York, and Texas will soon have ice cream, frozen foods, and fresh produce delivered by tractor trailers whose refrigeration units are powered by fuel cells. The fuel cells will do the work normally done by a small diesel engine, which keeps the refrigerated cargo at the proper temperature while the trucks are making deliveries. Each of the four trucks will still be equipped with a main diesel engine that actually powers the truck.
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which is overseeing the project, believe this will be the first time that refrigerated trucks making deliveries will be equipped with a fuel cell.