Leonard’s Express leases all-electric refrigerated trailers

Listen to this article

Farmington-based Leonard’s Express has entered an agreement with eNow Inc. to lease two eNow electric Transport Refrigeration Units (TRU). One eNow Rayfrigeration trailer is all-electric and features a Carrier Vector 8100 reefer unit. The second, also electric powered but with diesel back up, features the Carrier Vector 8500/8600 unit.

“We take pride in our fleet of state-of-the-art refrigeration units, and so we are excited to partner with eNow and help lead the way to a future with clean, quiet, emission-free TRUs,” said Ken Johnson, CEO at Leonard’s Express. “Because we move frozen vegetables, dairy products and temperature-sensitive produce from various origins across the U.S., primarily from the West Coast or Florida to the Northeast, we are an ideal test partner for eNow’s technology. And, if eNow’s systems work like we believe they will, we see adopting hundreds of units over the next several years.”

ENow, a Rhode Island company, was honored by Heavy-Duty Trucking magazine in 2020 and 2021 for its development of a 100 percent electric refrigeration system for trailers. The company successfully tested the first zero-emission eTRU for commercial use on a Challenge Dairy truck making deliveries in an urban area in 2017. Its diesel-free reefer system was deployed during a hot summer in Fresno, Calif., with partial funding by the California Air Resources Board. The eNow system achieved emission reductions of 98 percent nitrous oxide, 86 percent carbon dioxide and 97 percent particulate matter, compared with traditional diesel-powered systems.

“ENow is thrilled to partner with Leonard’s Express,” said eNow President and CEO Jeff Flath. “With ever-rising transportation costs, eNow Rayfrigeration technology promises to revolutionize commercial transportation by eliminating the need for diesel fuel for trailer refrigeration. This alone will save the food and transportation industry millions in operating costs. Lower equipment maintenance costs are a bonus.”

Leonard’s Express is a family-owned asset-based transportation provider with offices nationwide. The company provides transportation solutions for a wide range of customers that encompass many industries.

[email protected] / 585-653-4021
Follow Velvet Spicer on Twitter: @Velvet_Spicer