Schmitz Cargobull’s all-electric semi-trailer makes England debut at Marine & Cargo

The zero-emission reefer is working exclusively on the Buckinghamshire-based company’s contract with STI (UK), delivering temperature-controlled goods to McDonald’s distribution centres across the UK. 

Marine & Cargo is a family-run business with more than 30 years’ experience of the logistics industry. It operates a fleet of 30 trailers and 17 trucks from its depot in Great Horwood, Buckinghamshire.

Andrew Marshall, Marine & Cargo MD, said: “We’ve had the S.KOe COOL on the road for a few weeks now and the early signs are really positive. The technology is easy to use, and it will offer our business and our customers huge sustainability benefits in the long run. 

“We are taking approximately 200 litres of diesel a week out of our operation, which is what our standard refrigerated trailers will use to keep the goods at the precise temperatures they need to be. To eliminate that with this electric unit is a significant saving we’re achieving already.” 

Schmitz Cargobull officially launched the S.KOe COOL into the UK & Ireland market earlier this year. The trailer manufacturer has developed the type-approved refrigerated box body semi-trailer to help operators meet increasingly strict emissions regulations. 

Supplied by Aaron Howarth, Schmitz Cargobull area sales manager for the East Midlands, Marine & Cargo’s new reefer comes equipped with a fully electric S.CU ep85 cooling unit with integrated power electronics, a battery system and an electric generator axle, enabling 100% emissions-free operation. 

The business has paired the S.KOe COOL with a Mercedes-Benz Actros Gigaspace tractor unit, powered by a fuel-efficient 530hp Euro-6 engine, which runs on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) for further emission reductions.    

“Our vehicles are all used for tramping operations, leaving the depot on a Monday morning and coming back on a Friday. Due to the lack of charging infrastructure, there just isn’t an electric option suitable for the prime mover at this moment in time,” Marshall added. “So, we need to cut our emissions in other ways.

”By using this electric trailer, which is generating its own energy through the electric axle as it travels, we are achieving the closest thing we can get to sustainable energy within our operation.” 

The S.KOe’s electrified trailer axle recuperates energy during braking, among other processes, extending the cooling unit’s operating time or reducing the recharging time of the battery via the power grid. This also reduces waiting times at distribution centres. 

Three pre-defined modes - eco, standard and safe - allow the semi-trailer to be optimised according to the customer’s usage conditions and objectives. Eco mode ensures maximum energy and cost efficiency during refrigerated transport. Standard mode delivers cost-efficient protection against cargo spoilage, while safe mode provides maximum protection against spoilage. 

The modes can be selected via the display and keypad on the transport cooling unit or via the Schmitz Cargobull TrailerConnect telematics portal and app.