A MANUFACTURING company has designed a temperature control converter for battery-powered electric vans.

The device works by allowing electricity powered refrigeration units to use power from the van's own battery which avoid the need for complicated recharging process and extra batteries.

Burnley-based CoolKit, which developed the device for Kangoo ZE Maxi vans, believes this could have an important impact on the environment.

CEO Rupert Gatty said: “While the core of our business remains traditional fossil-fuel based van conversions, we cannot ignore the fact that electric vehicles are the future.

“We have an increasingly eco-aware population, the government has pledged to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 and many regional authorities are looking to follow London’s lead and accelerate plans to introduce low-emission zones."

He added: "We want to ensure that we are ahead of the curve in devising innovative and eco-friendly solutions for our customers, and we have certainly achieved this with the Kangoo ZE."

When vans are parked, the unit can be plugged into mains electricity to preserve the temperature on board and when on the road, those temperatures are maintained using the van’s battery.

Mr Gatty said: said: “We are delighted to be able to offer these vans to the market and have two Kangoo ZE’s converted and ready to go right now.

“We are also well advanced in developing our conversions for other battery electric vehicles including Mercedes-Benz’s eSprinter, Renault’s Master ZE, Nissan’s e-NV200, and Maxus’s eDeliver 3 models.

“Many people believe that operating an eco-friendly fleet comes at a financial cost, but it can actually be a very smart business decision.

“Electric vehicles are very cheap to run and open up a whole host of other benefits to the cost savvy and ethically minded business owner."

To find out more, go to: www.coolkit.co.uk.