Sainsbury’s has begun a three-month trial of a refrigerated delivery truck cooled by a liquid nitrogen powered engine.
The use of the Dearman engine, rather than the traditional diesel engine, will significantly cut emissions, the retailer said. It will also save up to 1.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide, 37kg of nitrogen oxide and 2kg of particulate matter during the three-month trial period.
29The truck will deliver chilled goods from Sainsbury’s Waltham Point depot to stores in the London area.
The Dearman engine harnesses the rapid expansion of liquid nitrogen, delivering zero-emission, power and cooling. Dearman has altered the traditional two diesel engines, one to power and one to refrigerate, and swapped out the latter for the new nitrogen system.
Head of Sustainability for Sainsbury’s Paul Crewe, commented that the retailer, “really recognises the importance of reducing emissions” and is, “working hard to cut carbon emissions by 30% between 2005 and 2020. This trial with Dearman is just one of the innovations we’ve introduced to help us towards this goal.”
The cleaner cooling system is also a safer alternative to traditional systems fuelled by diesel, as liquid nitrogen is a non-flammable substance.
The trial comes on the heels of several innovations by the company, which vows to reduce carbon emission by 30% between 2005 and 2020.
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Aoife Lawless. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
