The Fairfax ZE is New Zealand’s first fully electric, VDAM-regulated, refrigerated trailer using a hybrid axle to generate electricity as a replacement for a diesel generator to power the refrigeration unit.

The technology has been developed in a collaboration between Fairfax, Transcold, and Transpecs.

The first adopter of the Fairfax ZE was Foodstuffs North Island. Over the last year its ZE trailer has clocked up more than 1,000 hours on the road and saved 8,226 kilograms of CO2 emissions in the process.

In June this year, Big Chill Distribution through TR Group added a ZE trailer to its fleet. It didn’t take long before the numbers started stacking up again with 396 hours on the road and 3,137 kilograms of CO₂ saved.

The ZE’s performance comes down to a combination of Carrier’s eCool fully electric refrigeration system and SAF-Holland’s electric axle which generates power from the trailer’s own movement. The result is the Fairfax ZE has no diesel genset, no tailpipe emissions, produces less noise, requires less maintenance, all while meeting every VDAM requirement.

“This trailer proves what’s possible when you stop asking ‘why’ and start asking ‘why not,’” says Chris Devoy, CEO of Action Manufacturing.

“We wanted to build something that would set a new benchmark for the industry, and one year on, it’s doing exactly that.”