Why the Espar Airtronic Heater is Key to Keeping Drivers Warm While Reducing Fuel Costs.

Do you want to keep your drivers warm in their cabs all winter while reducing your fuel costs? Blackburn Energy is a proud distributor of Eberspaecher's Espar Airtronic D2 Diesel Fired Air Heater. We are currently offering it for $1295 which includes everything for install plus free shipping. 

As part of our winter promotion of this great technology, I caught up with Brett Herrmann, a staff engineer at Bergstrom Inc., the world’s largest cab climate system manufacturer, to discuss what makes the Espar Airtronic D2 a crucial investment for many fleets. The interview is lightly edited for clarity.

Laynie: Bergstrom is known for No idle AC systems. Why does Bergstrom sell Espar Airtronic Heaters?

Brett: Most of what Bergstrom offers is no idle electrified AC systems. It [Espar Airtronic D2] is a good complimentary heating product to Bergstrom’s no idle electrified AC systems. The Espar Airtronic is compact, easy to install and is very efficient. They consume very little fuel only between .1 and .3 gallons per hour. A vehicle that is idling for heat, they can consume up to a gallon of fuel per hour. In many locations throughout the United States, there are anti-idle laws, so using the Espar Airtronic D2 is a great alternative to heat your vehicle, comply with the laws and significantly reduce your fuel consumption.

Laynie: How is the Espar Airtronic D2 a great investment for fleets that care about efficiency and the comfort of drivers?

Brett: The Espar Airtronic D2 does require diesel fuel to operate. Eberspaecher has cornered the market for this product and has a great reputation for reliability. It is economical and does save fleets a significant amount in operating costs since the drivers do not need to idle for heat. Fleets can avoid fines in states with anti-idle laws and comply with all the emissions requirements in different states.

Laynie: What tips can you offer to help fleets and drivers optimize the Aitronic D2 heater?

Brett: Since the Espar Airtronic Heater is so compact and easy to install, it is easy to hide in cabinets or under the bunk. Basically, you can mount it anywhere in the vehicle and duct the air to where you want the heat which is nice. The heater also has a timer and is programmable according to the driver’s preferences. OEs [original equipment manufacturers] also offer different winter insulation packages that can help optimize the conditions that will keep the bunk warm. We often recommend these winter packages to our customers.

Building the Right Electrical Infrastructure with Hybrid Charging 

At Blackburn, we help fleets find the most efficient and cost-conscious products to help them start electrifying their trucks today while supporting their drivers.   Our hybrid charging system RelGen can electrify everything possible on a commercial vehicle to make trucks more efficient and reduce fuel costs. While the Espar Airtronic D2 heater uses both electric power and fuel to operate, it heats sleeper cabs well and saves a ton of diesel fuel that a driver would use by idling for heat.

Many fleets run the Espar Airtronic heater connected to their starter batteries without any problems because they are so efficient. However, if your drivers run other appliances (TV, crock pot, game console, CPAP, etc.) you may experience additional road calls for dead batteries. Keep in mind that any time a driver uses an electrical appliance that runs for hours, you risk depleting the starter batteries leading to a breakdown.   For this reason, we always recommend taking the sleeper bunk or cabin electrical load off the starter batteries and connecting heaters and all other cabin electrical appliances to a secondary auxiliary battery system that is isolated from the starter batteries.

RelGen is a foundational technology that expands the available electricity on trucks by fully charging your auxiliary battery system in under four hours of drive time. Our technology gives fleets the right foundation to add and electrify other appliances that support their drivers while reducing their fuel costs: CPAP machines, TVs, refrigerators. crock pots etc. If you had all the clean power you needed, what would you put in your trucks?

Blackburn Energy is currently offering the Espar’s Airtronic D2 Diesel Fired Air Heater with everything included for install and free shipping for $1295. Please contact sales@blackburnenergy.com if you have questions.