The Opel Vivaro-e and Opel Vivaro-e HYDROGEN have recently joined the fleet of NOWEDA, a German pharmaceutical company based in Essen. This company is actually proving the sustainability of the battery electric van and the hydrogen fuel cell van in delivering delicate everyday products.
The company deals with the transport of medicines and is evaluating the compliance of the vans to the good distribution practices (GDP) of the European Union. According to the guidelines for medicinal products (BPD 2013/C 343/01), the latter must be transported in vehicles with an insulated and thermo-regulated load compartment at a temperature between 15 and 25 degrees, in order to guarantee perfect conservation at any time.
Cars such as the Opel Vivaro-e and Opel Vivaro-e HYDROGEN are needed to carry out daily tasks, which respectively guarantee up to 328 and 400 kilometers (WLTP Cycle) zero local emissions mileage between stops for charging or refuelling. However, the vans must meet the complex requirements relating to the transport of perishable goods: Fahrzeugbau Dülmer GmbH and CSA ClimaVan Solutions Automotive GmbH, companies specializing in the equipment of commercial vehicles, are at stake here.
Opel Vivaro-e HYDROGEN: the special equipment
The equipment of the Opel Vivaro-e HYDROGEN for the transport of medicines was made by CSA ClimaVan Solutions Automotive GmbH. The specialists took care of installing a unit of cooling and heating developed by the company itself, under the roof of the load compartment; pipes and power cables are protected by panels.
According to the EU BPD, in battery electric or hydrogen electric vehicles the compressor for cooling and heating must not be powered by the electric motor of the vehicle, but by other special and separate batteries, that can be recharged from the outside: a requirement satisfied by the company, which in fact proposes air heating.
The control unit and battery were inserted in the wheel arches of the Opel Vivaro-e HYDROGEN. The control unit for regulating the temperature in the load compartment is located on the left side of the dashboard. The compressor, condenser and dryer are in the spare wheel well. To keep the load compartment volume unchanged and avoid excessive weight, CSA has not covered the partition behind the driver’s cab. In the load compartment there are non-slip materials that ensure the safe transport of goods.
Opel Vivaro-e: full insulation and water heating
The Vivaro-e converted by Fahrzeugbau Dülmer GmbH is characterized by the same non-slip materials for the load compartment and solid yet light structures. Unlike CSA, Dülmer has isolated completely the side and partition walls for the tested solution in the climatic chamber. This allows you to maintain the desired temperature in the load compartment for longer and facilitates the transport of stackable medicine containers.
Again the cooling and heating unit, manufactured by Webasto, is mounted in the roof of the cargo area, with the compressor, condenser and dryer having been housed in the spare wheel well.
Under the floor the water heating unit has been inserted. With Dülmer’s solution, the separate battery and control unit are located in a compartment in the compartment behind the driver’s seat. The load compartment temperature can be adjusted via the unit located in the center console.
Zero emissions
The two electric Opel vans used by NOWEDA do not produce local emissions, with a consequent saving of resources. And you can see it immediately from the outside too: the battery-powered Opel Vivaro-e has a large power cable on the sides with the inscription “100% electric deliveries thanks to e-drive!”, while on the fuel cell version on hydrogen we read: “Let’s drive with 0 emissions thanks to the e-HYDROGEN technology!”. The stylized H2 lettering (hydrogen molecule) also underlines the sustainability of the vehicles.
