As the government has recently published its Clean Air Zone framework alongside the draft Air Quality Plan, Dearman has welcomed the framework’s recognition of the impact on Britain’s air quality of polluting transport refrigeration units.

Commercial director, David Sanders, said: “The Clean Air Zone framework published by government rightly highlights the impact of transport refrigeration units on Britain’s air quality. These diesel-run units are disproportionately polluting and local authorities implementing clean air zones should encourage fleet operators to shift to the affordable zero emission units that are already available.

“The transport sector faces ever closer scrutiny because of its reliance on diesel, but the industry needs support as well as regulation if it is to transition to cleaner alternatives, that is why the draft air quality plan as a whole must encourage take-up of cleaner, greener technologies.”

There are roughly 84,000 TRUs on Britain’s roads, many of which depend on outdated auxiliary diesel engines, which can emit up to six times as much nitrogen oxide (NOx) and almost 30 times as much particulate matter (PM) as a Euro 6 heavy goods vehicle engine.

The first application of Dearman technology is a zero-emission transport refrigeration system, an alternative to traditional diesel units. It has the capacity to have a significant impact on air quality and CO2 emissions, while providing industry leading performance, but without adding significant cost.