More than 350 city buses use air conditioning systems manufactured by Thermo King. The Athenia ENVI R-744 unit is an eco-friendly system that uses CO2 as a coolant. ‘The demand for climate control systems free of harmful emissions comes mainly from urban transport companies,’ says Ronald Aan, sales manager at Thermo King.
Thermo King is a leading manufacturer in the sector of cooling systems. A new development is the use of the virtually harmless coolant CO2. For electric city buses, the global manufacturer offers the Athenia Envi roof unit, a device that functions like a heat pump. This system can produce both warm and cool air, cool the batteries and provide hot water for the convectors in the bus.
“We currently only use the coolant R 744 (CO2) for city buses. It is an excellent coolant that works efficiently at temperatures ranging from minus 25 degrees to plus 50 degrees Celsius, ” says the sales director.
“In addition, R 744 is much cheaper than conventional chemical coolants. As a result of stricter legislation on the use of harmful coolants and declining demand, the price of such products has risen sharply. This development is favourable for the use of more environmentally friendly coolants. ”
As there are no European regulations for bus air conditioning yet, demand for the latest technology remains limited. “We have noticed that transport companies in cities and large conurbations are eagerly awaiting this technology. They are very interested.”
Operators should not be concerned about the cost price. A “green” climate control system costs about one and a half times the price of a conventional installation. This makes only a small difference to the total price of a bus.
“We offer a reliable product and, as a global player in the truck and trailer business, we have a large network of service stations. That is an advantage we can offer our customers,” concludes Ronald Aan.