The Vector 8600MT is the first commercially available multi-temperature trailer refrigeration unit that meets the 2013 EPA Tier 4 standard.
“The innovative engineering that went into the Vector 8600MT unit and its new smart remote evaporators provides our food distribution and supermarket customers with significant benefits,” said David Appel, president, Carrier Transicold & Refrigeration Systems. “These improvements will help customers in the key areas of reducing fuel consumption and maintenance costs, environmental compliance, quiet operation, lower total cost of ownership, and trailer configuration flexibility.”
Carrier Transicold’s third-generation Vector multi-temperature refrigeration system for North America, the Vector 8600MT shares key attributes of its recently introduced single-temperature sibling, the Vector 8500 unit. Both provide significantly reduced weight, improved fuel economy and greater refrigeration capacity.
The new Vector models are also the first North American trailer units to use a fully hermetic electric scroll compressor. Proven efficient and reliable in Carrier Transicold refrigerated marine container systems, the scroll compressor has 70 percent fewer moving parts and is 200 pounds lighter than a traditional reciprocating compressor, contributing to the host unit’s overall 10 percent weight reduction compared to its predecessor.
With the Vector 8600MT, one or two remote evaporators can be added to the host system, enabling a total of up to three refrigerated compartments within a single trailer, each maintained at a different temperature set point.
“We call our new remotes smart evaporators because they each have an integral control module that communicates with the main APX™ control system,” said Bertrand Gueguen, president, Global Truck/Trailer, Carrier Transicold. “It’s part of Carrier Transicold’s unique distributed electronics strategy. This means simpler wiring and streamlined installation, which ultimately results in higher reliability. The advanced design of the new smart remote evaporators also includes electronic expansion valves for better capacity and recovery after door openings, more precise temperature control, and lower fuel consumption.”
The Vector 8600MT unit’s smart remote evaporators automatically adjust themselves to varying conditions to ensure optimized cooling capacities and more efficient fuel use, unlike competitive and earlier Carrier systems with mechanical expansion valves that required more setup, a high level of technician expertise and additional adjustments when reconfiguring trailer compartments.
The Vector platform’s signature E-Drive™ all-electric refrigeration technology means refrigeration and heating operations are 100 percent electric, powered over the road by an onboard generator driven by the unit’s diesel engine. Electric standby capability is built in, allowing haulers to tap into electric power supplies to run the system when parked, providing quiet, emissions-free refrigeration performance that can reduce operating costs by up to 70 percent compared to diesel operations, while conserving fuel for the highway.
As with other 2013 Carrier Transicold truck and trailer refrigeration units, the Vector 8600MT unit incorporates Carrier Transicold’s performance-boosting ecoFORWARD™ technologies. Compared to the unit it succeeds, the new Vector 8600MT unit provides up to 4 percent higher cooling capacity at 60,000 Btu at 35 degrees Fahrenheit (1.6 degrees Celsius) and 24,000 Btu at -20 degrees Fahrenheit ( 29 degrees Celsius), while using up to 20 percent less engine power.
The Vector 8600MT unit’s engine is certified for “evergreen” compliance with the 2013 EPA Tier 4 standard for engines less than 25 horsepower. For fleets operating in California beyond seven years, the Vector platform’s standard electric standby capability provides an in-use compliance option for the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Carrier Transicold is also developing an optional engine emissions system that further reduces engine emissions and provides a future CARB in-use compliance verified diesel emissions control strategy (VDECS).
