Delivering in London: naturally with Econic

Green logo, green thinking: Brakes, the UK's leading provider of food in the catering sector, not only opts for environmentally friendly alternatives for the chilled contents of its company-owned delivery vehicles. The vehicles themselves are also chosen accordingly. As the first model with a refrigerated body and an automated manual transmission, a new white Econic is now on the streets of London for Brakes – a task made for the Econic. After all, no other vehicle is so fuel-efficient and at the same time designed to be so city-friendly.

"Delivering on a cleaner-burning diesel alternative for London" is emblazoned on the refrigerated body of the Econic. In terms of performance, however, the environmentally conscious food company does not have to make any compromises despite this mission. After all, demanding tasks such as delivering food in the dense London traffic are mastered by the Special Truck with ease. The 18-tonne truck with low-entry cab is driven by a high-torque 7.7‑litre inline six-cylinder engine, has an output of 220 kW (299 hp) and is equipped with a 12-speed Mercedes PowerShift 3 system.

Econic in Paris: fresh and ice-cooled.

Paul Vernon, fleet and MHE manager at Brakes, values the newly available PowerShift system as a more fuel-efficient alternative to the proven six-speed Allison automatic. He explains that, especially given the regular starts and stops in delivery traffic, the company expects a comparatively lower fuel consumption.

As with other vehicles in Brakes' fleet, the Econic is also operated on Shell GTL fuel (Gas to Liquid) – a paraffinic diesel that requires no engine modifications. Studies show that this fuel can significantly reduce pollutant and particulate emissions compared to a standard Euro VI truck.

The PIEK-compliant ICELAND Twincool refrigeration unit from Carrier Transicold installed in the Econic is also powered exclusively by hydraulic power generated by the truck's engine. This power take-off-driven multi-temperature system delivers optimal performance, even at idle speeds. Advantage: The vehicle's environmental impact is reduced by lowering emissions and improving fuel efficiency.

Like all Econic models, Brakes' food delivery vehicle is fully air-suspended, features a low panoramic windscreen and a fully glazed full-height passenger door. The driver is at eye level with vulnerable road users. Everyone benefits.

The Special Truck can also be equipped with numerous safety assistance systems. Blind spot camera system, Active Brake Assist 4, Sideguard Assist and many other systems protect Econic drivers and other road users. Because when it comes to safety measures, the Econic is at the forefront.

An overview of the Econic safety assistance systems.

Brakes has already had a good experience with Mercedes-Benz in the past. The food supplier operates around 1,500 temperature-controlled trucks. The majority of the fleet consists of 18-tonners and 300 vans from a nationwide network of 20 depots. Mercedes-Benz vehicles supplied by the Rygor dealer group make up about half of the entire fleet.

It also makes financial sense. "We back our Mercedes-Benz trucks with service contracts so we know what we will pay over the vehicle's entire lifetime," says Paul Vernon. Because of the product's impressive longevity, these total costs are extremely attractive. That's typically Econic.