Classic Fine Foods adds 15 refrigerated electric vans

Classic Fine Foods is introducing 15 refrigerated Mercedes-Benz eSprinter vans to its UK distribution operation under a five-year contract hire agreement with Fraikin. The 3.5-tonne electric vehicles will replace older diesel vans within a commercial fleet of approximately 50 vehicles, with revised refrigeration equipment and charging specifications intended to meet the requirements of multi-temperature food deliveries.

Fraikin secured the contract after a competitive tender and undertook a fleet audit to examine the distributor’s operating patterns and vehicle specification. Its review identified problems with an existing partition and fan arrangement that transferred cold air between compartments. The system used a foam mattress bulkhead and fan kit, which had caused uneven distribution into the second compartment and contributed to product damage.

The revised refrigeration design uses a fixed rear evaporator to support independent control of the vehicle’s temperature zones. Loads requiring different conditions can then be placed in separate compartments rather than depending on transferred air from a neighbouring zone. The partitioning and cooling arrangement must still maintain the specified temperature when doors open during a delivery round, particularly if chilled and frozen products are carried together.

An evaporator removes heat as compartment air passes over its cooling surface, after which the air is recirculated through the load space. A dedicated unit for a rear zone reduces reliance on a fan moving cold air across a partition, the issue Fraikin identified during its audit. Measured temperature stability will depend on airflow around the goods, door openings, load density and control settings. Neither company has published trial results demonstrating a particular reduction in spoilage or product damage.

The vans will use Fraikin’s connected vehicle management services for vehicle and driver information. Electric propulsion and electrically supported refrigeration create separate demands on the battery and supporting power systems, with the balance varying by route, outside temperature, payload and unloading time. The operators have not given independently measured driving range for the refrigerated vans on their intended rounds, so a general eSprinter range figure would be a poor substitute for duty-specific performance.

Fraikin recommended configuring ten of the vans with 22kW AC charging capability rather than 11kW. Faster charging is possible only where the depot can provide a compatible three-phase supply and suitable equipment; the vehicle’s maximum acceptance rate does not establish the actual power available during a charge. State of charge, battery conditions and time between routes will determine whether the higher specification produces a practical scheduling advantage.

Classic Fine Foods’ delivery duties involve restaurants, shops and hospitality customers receiving ingredients across several temperature categories. Routes with multiple drops can place different demands on refrigeration from trunk movements between distribution locations. Door openings, dwell times and the sequence in which goods are unloaded affect the conditions experienced by remaining stock, so a compartment that can be monitored and controlled independently offers a more defined operating arrangement than a basic air-transfer system.

Before departure, loaders must place products in the correct compartment and ensure the unit has reached its required set point. Every opening during a multi-drop round lets outside air enter, potentially raising the temperature of goods that remain on board. Independent controls can help the remaining zone recover without forcing the whole vehicle to use the same setting, but the arrangement still depends on suitable loading and records of time-temperature conditions during transit.

The electric vans are zero tailpipe emission vehicles, removing exhaust emissions from the point of use. That description does not cover electricity generation, vehicle manufacture or refrigerant leakage, each of which may contribute to lifecycle emissions. The emissions benefit against the displaced diesel vehicles depends on the electricity used and the actual fleet duty cycle; neither a full lifecycle assessment nor measured operating savings has been provided for this specific contract.

Fraikin’s five-year hire package covers the vehicles and a supporting maintenance structure rather than leaving Classic Fine Foods to manage every mechanical and servicing requirement separately. The distributor has also added two 12-tonne DAF XB diesel rigid trucks under similar arrangements. Those vehicles use temperature-control systems linked to the powertrain rather than a separate diesel refrigeration engine, an approach intended to avoid an additional dedicated combustion unit during operation.

The agreement also includes two 12-tonne DAF XB diesel rigids, indicating that Classic Fine Foods is retaining combustion vehicles for part of its heavier distribution work. Fraikin says those vehicles use refrigeration systems driven through the vehicle powertrain rather than separate diesel refrigeration engines. Performance data for the electric vans — including charging demand, achieved temperatures and product-loss rates — has not yet been published for the new fleet.