Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Systems, Ltd. has received the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy Commissioner’s Award (Transportation Field) in the Best Products and Business Models category of the Energy Conservation Center, Japan’s (ECCJ) 2024 Energy Conservation Grand Prize Awards, for its TEJ35AM electric-driven transport refrigeration unit(1) integrated with the ELF EV, an electric truck made by Isuzu Motors Ltd. (Isuzu). The award was shared by MHI Thermal Systems and Isuzu. The winning unit was cited for its ability to maintain a constant temperature inside the cargo room, enabled by sharing of battery power by TEJ35AM and ELF EV, and for its simultaneous contributions to CO2 reduction and energy savings. The awards ceremony was held in Tokyo on January 29.
ECCJ’s Energy Conservation Grand Prize Awards are presented in recognition of outstanding energy-saving initiatives at businesses or workplaces that should serve as model examples for other companies, or superior energy-saving products or business models. The awards program was created to contribute to the formation of an energy-saving society by spreading energy conservation awareness throughout Japan and promoting the adoption of energy-saving products. Previously, in 2019 MHI Thermal Systems received ECCJ’s Energy Conservation Grand Prize in the Transportation Field for its TE20/TE30 Series of electric-driven refrigeration units(2).
In the 2024 award-winning combination, the TEJ35AM and ELF EV achieves coordinated power control that gives priority to temperature control in the cargo room. The TEJ35AM operates at maximum capacity immediately after engine startup, enabling quick temperature control; and once the target temperature is reached, it operates with outstanding efficiency. Together these features realize waste-free operation using limited power. Combination with the ELF EV enables a 21.3% reduction in annual average energy consumption, 46.1% reduction in annual average CO2 emissions, and 42.2% reduction in annual energy costs compared to conventional refrigeration trucks(3), thereby contributing to decarbonization advancement and energy cost reduction.