Sustainable Refrigerated Road Transport – Investigating the Scale of Carbon Emissions from Direct- Drive Last Mile Refrigerated Vehicles

Decarbonisation of road transport vehicles is associated with some particular challenges, one of which is refrigerant leakage. The F-Gas regulations (EU) 517/2014, requires both manufacturers and fleet owners of refrigerated vehicles above 3.5 tonnes to record refrigerant leakage as well as ensure leak tight and efficient refrigeration systems. In addition, manufacturers and fleet owners have to balance the competing interests of maintaining temperature control while reducing the energy consumption of these refrigerated vehicles. Thus, reducing the overall environmental impact (i.e. contribution towards global warming and climate change) of refrigerated road transport (RRT) systems and developing sustainable designs are imperative for the cold chain industry. The research outlined herein consists of two (2) main parts. PART 1 focused on evaluating the scale of direct carbon emissions from RRT systems. The independent study investigates the annual refrigerant leakage for belt-driven RRT units typically fitted to light commercial vehicles (approximately 3.5 tonne). It identifies the extent of leakage from the individual refrigeration components in belt-driven RRT units and explores the likely root causes and possible solutions. PART 2, investigates the scale of indirect carbon emissions of RRT vehicles. The paper provides a brief overview of the mathematical modelling and experimental methods used to analyse the real-time performance of urban direct-drive refrigerated vehicles. Finally, conclusions are drawn from both parts, which can be incorporated, into best practice guidelines for the design and development of sustainable refrigerated road transport systems.