Thermo King will introduce split system solutions for shuttle and bus owners and operators that offer a lower lifecycle cost, are more sustainable, and provide a more consistently comfortable environment throughout the vehicle for passengers and drivers in Booth 1006 at the BusCon Expo in Chicago this week.

Thermo King, a manufacturer of transport temperature control systems for a variety of mobile applications and a brand of Ingersoll Rand, will manufacture these solutions domestically starting this fall. All products will be manufactured in the U.S. to allow for a two-week lead time and ensure that they meet all Buy America requirements.

The redesigned, more environmentally aware solutions from Thermo King include the SA-600 skirt-mounted condenser and the rooftop application Slim Line Condenser (SLC), both available with the interior mounted SA-600 evaporator in the fourth quarter of 2011.

The updated SA-600 skirt-mounted condenser and evaporator solution has been designed to significantly reduce maintenance time while offering increased performance and energy efficiency. The condenser features a micro-channel coil in lieu of a standard fin-and-tube design for increased performance and a refrigerant charge which is 66 percent lower than the earlier version of this solution offered by Thermo King.

The new condenser design provides optimized fan placement for improved airflow through the coil. The filter/drier in the condenser is mounted in an easy-to-access location. The evaporator blowers can be replaced quickly without having to remove the entire unit cover or blower frame assembly. The return air filter is located at the rear of the evaporator section in a swing-out frame for replacement in seconds.

The SLC unit offers all the advanced features of the Slim Line Rooftop (SLR) air conditioning solution, which Thermo King introduced last year at BusCon. Engineers took an innovative approach, using the condenser section of the innovative SLR and adapting it for stand-alone use with split system evaporators.

The SA-600 and SLR will offer IntelligAIRE III starting next year. This is an advanced microprocessor-based controller for bus climate control systems which can be programmed for either manual or automatic operation. This solution allows users to load a single program file which can be saved and applied to all buses in the fleet, making it ideal for transit fleets interested in standardizing controls across all units.

IntelligAIRE III provides improved diagnostic and troubleshooting capabilities to help reduce downtime. This solution offers a unique modular configuration which provides the user with greater flexibility for customization, reduces the number of electrical connections and significantly lowers the weight of the solution through the elimination of long multi-wire harnesses.