Wind-Powered Reefer Close To Production, Backer Says

A wind-powered electric reefer unit is in advanced development and will be commercially available early next year, says a man closely involved in the enterprise. Stephan Venczel, president of Slipstream Corp., says the Kinetic Energy Enhancement system completely eliminates a diesel engine by using wind-spun generators to charge batteries that run electrical cooling and heating apparatus.

A KEE system is a variation on the "power-on-a-stick" wind turbines that are springing up around the country. It is lighter and will cost less than a typical diesel reefer unit, and completely eliminates the need for diesel fuel, Venczel claims. He and his colleagues will demonstrate their fourth generation system this fall and will have it ready for production in early 2009.

A KEE mounts two wind-turbine generators on the roof of a tractor's sleeper and batteries under the trailer, and uses an electrically driven compressor, evaporator and other apparatus on the nose and inside a trailer. An electrical cord between tractor and trailer would tie together the equipment.

"The trucker is now using a wind deflector to get wind up and over the trailer," Venczel says. "It's a stupid waste of kinetic energy. We're creating an electrical charging system that we're mounting on the roof of trucks. The flat-roof sleeper that many people are using will easily accommodate what we're talking about. It will give truckers 15 to 20 kilowatts of energy at highway speeds. That would give 12 to 14 hours of stationary time to power the refrigeration unit for a 45- to 53-foot trailer."

Trailers that sit for longer periods would be plugged in to "shore power" outlets to keep their batteries charged and the reefer systems running, Venczel says. While such outlets are not generally available now, the popularity of KEE reefers would cause the industry to install them, he believes.

The two "speedball" wind generators on the tractor weigh 235 pounds. Each has 18 blades, and look like turbines in jet engine, he explains. The "nickel-metal-hydride exotic" batteries would reside in a box slung under the trailer's floor where the fuel tank is now mounted; the box measures 4 feet by 4 feet by 16 inches high. Batteries and the electrically driven reefer equipment together would weigh 400 pounds less than a typical diesel reefer.

A KEE system can be fitted to an existing tractor and trailer, and that trailer equipment would be easily installed after removing the diesel reefer unit and fuel tank. Venczel estimates that a retrofit would take under two days and cost $12,000 to $17,000. Work would be done at conversion centers established at truckstops, dealers, and independent shops along major travel routes. A KEE can be installed on a new trailer for less than the cost of a new diesel reefer, he says, and Slipstream could work with trailer and truck manufacturers. He is seeking a "testbed" fleet that would like to be involved in in-service demonstrations of 25 to 50 units.

Venczel says he is in talks with at least one major investor, and would release more information and photos of the KEE system as negotiations proceed. Slipstream Corp. is in Las Vegas, and he can be reached at (403) 477-2231 or sirwind@telus.net.