The Case for Idle Elimination

When it comes to idle elimination, day cabs get much less attention than sleeper trucks. At first glance, this makes sense: daytime idling occurs less frequently and is less costly, on a per truck basis, than overnight idling.

But daytime idling is not free. A typical day cab driver idles two to three hours per day—enough to burn through an extra 600 gallons of diesel per year. And day cabs are still subject to anti-idling laws, both current ones and those that may be introduced in the future.

The Idle Free electric APU is a cost-effective, low maintenance idle elimination solution for day cabs. With this system, day cab drivers can cool or heat their cabs, keep their engines warm, and meet their 120 volt AC electricity needs—without discretionary idling and the unnecessary costs that go with it.

Benefits of the Idle Free Electric APU

The Idle Free electric APU offers day cab drivers and fleet operators many benefits compared to both discretionary idling and other idle-elimination options, including diesel APUs and other electric APUs.

• Reduced diesel consumption by as much as 600 gallons per year.
• Reduced engine wear and tear and related maintenance costs.
• Compliance with all anti-idle laws and the California Air Resources Board (CARB).
• Complete, year-round idle elimination—not just reduced idling (like diesel APUs) or the elimination of idling for A/C only (like other electric APUs).
• Customized systems based on driving conditions, budget, and investment timeline.
• Easy installation (approximately eight hours compared to 16 hours for other systems) and zero annual maintenance costs.

The Idle Free electric APU works with any make or model of truck. It is also an EPA SmartWay-verified technology, which means it is one of the cleanest and most fuel-efficient available on the market.

Visit the Benefits page to learn more about the benefits of the Idle Free electric APU.

Systems and Configurations

The Idle Free electric APU is available in two system types: a battery-based system and a reefer-based system for drivers pulling a refrigerated trailer. The battery-based system captures energy produced by the engine's alternator and stores it in an independent AGM battery bank. The reefer-based system uses patented Reefer Link™ technology to make energy from the reefer unit available to the driver when the truck engine is off. In both cases, day cab drivers can use this energy to heat or cool the cab, warm the engine or fuel tanks, and meet their 120 volt electricity needs.

Both systems include a standard shore power outlet. This means day cab drivers have at least two alternatives to discretionary idling when truck stop electrification (TSE) services are available.

In addition, the reefer-based system comes in three configurations: combined heat and A/C for year-round idle elimination in all climates; heat-only; and A/C-only. Drivers or fleet operators who choose to invest initially in a heat-only or A/C-only configuration can easily expand their system in the future as budgetary and/or driving conditions change.

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