CoolKit is helping its client Country Fare deliver on its eco-aware ethos – thanks to its latest all electric refrigerated vehicle.
Dorset-based Country Fare is a family-run food service company delivering fresh produce, ambient, chilled and dairy goods to the catering industry across Dorset, Hampshire, Somerset and Wiltshire.
Established in 2004, it has seen amazing growth and is now one of the major food service suppliers for the South of England.
Ray Batchelor, Transport and Operations Manager at Country Fare, took delivery of a Nissan e-NV200 refrigerated van from award-winning CoolKit, which is helping to deliver their goods in an eco-friendly way.
The chiller conversion has been specified with a Hubbard Zero refrigeration unit, gel coated blue fibre-glass reinforced floor, high-intensity LED lighting and PVC strip curtains to rear and side entrance. With a payload of 247Kg, the electric vehicle is already proving beneficial in completing local deliveries.
“With carefully planned usage, we are getting 90 miles plus on one charge and completing many local smaller deliveries”, explains Ray.
“The service from CoolKit has been fantastic. The electric vehicle has been converted to the high standards we expected, and it was definitely the right investment to make.
“We strongly believe that ethical business practice and positively impacting the community is more important than our bottom line. That is why we will never change in our commitment to environmental protection, sustainability and supporting local produce. Our investment in the electric vehicle fits perfectly with our brand.”
The refrigeration unit is powered by an autonomous lithium-ion power source designed specifically by CoolKit. The battery, charged separately through its own charging point, is small and lightweight, and can be incorporated within the vehicle with minimal impact.
Sam Hargreaves, Sales Specialist at CoolKit, explains: “Using a standalone power source for the refrigeration unit provides up to seven hours of cooling power and a range of around 100 miles depending on the use and application of the vehicle. If a customer was relying on the vehicle battery to drive both the van and the fridge, the range would decrease to just 60 miles.”
CoolKit will be exhibiting at this year’s Commercial Vehicle Show at the NEC in Birmingham, which runs from 30th April to 2nd May. They can be found in the CoolZone on stand 3C50.
