Author: Caroline Bowden

I will save enough fuel in a short period to recoup my investment!

I am an Owner/Operator of a Limousine leased to Naperville Chauffeuring operating out of the western suburbs of Chicago, Illinois.
In November, 2006 I had a T-2500D Energy Recovery System installed in my 2004 Lincoln Executive Town Car by Naperville Auto Garage.

With the arrival of some cold weather I have really had a chance to use the System over the last several weeks. As I told Len Spencer of Spencer and Associates Ltd, one of Autothenn’s local Dealers, “I really like the System. This morning while I was waiting 45 minutes for a pick up with the temperature about 8° F outside, I was able to keep the car engine off most of that time and I remained warm in the cab.”

Something else that is nice about the ERS System, since I have the Deluxe Model, is that while I am comfortably awaiting my customer I can listen to the car radio with the ignition in the Off position. With the typical long, cold winters of the Chicago area I know that with not having to idle my engine to keep warn in the cab I will save enough fuel in a short period of time to recoup my investment.

January 19, 2007

A company that knows the meaning of customer satisfaction!

I am an owner operator of a 1998 Peterbilt 379 that hauls loads up and down the I-5 corridor through California, Oregon and Washington.

Last October I purchased and had installed one of Autotherm’s T-2500D Energy Recovery Systems. From the very beginning the System worked fantastic for me. I had also installed an APU at about the same time the T-2500D was installed and I found that the T-2500 was so efficient and effective that it dramatically reduced the amount of time that I needed to operate the APU. I was very pleased with the System.

However, after a few months the T-2500 stopped operating and the installer, even after several attempts, was unable to determine the cause of the failure. Your Customer Service Department was notified about the problem I was having and then you called me. We discussed the problem, you assured me that everything would be taken care of and we set a scheduled date and time for a
service person to come from Lake Zurich, Illinois all the way to Portland, Oregon to alleviate my problem.

It was found that there was nothing functionally wrong with the T-2500D. During the installation of the unit the wire that provides battery power to the Central Control Unit (CCU) of the T-2500 was not insulated nor secured properly and, over time, the wire moved and shorted out against the cab frame. I was provided with a new CCU, a new power harness, a lot of good information about your idle reduction System from your Service Man and then I was on my way in a very short period of time with a perfectly functioning Energy Recovery System. That is what I call service!!

I have a number of owner operator friends who are interested in installing your product in their vehicles.
You can bet that I will not only tell them about how great the product works but also about a company that knows the meaning of customer satisfaction.

Sincerely,
Richard Martinez
Alhambra, California

I reduced my annual idle time by over 70% with AUTOTHERM!!

I have been a Mobile Maintenance Mechanic for Chicago International /IdeaLease, formerly Freund International/IdeaLease, in Huntley, Illinois for 5 years.

In October 2003 I had an AUTOTHERM -2100 Energy Recovery System installed in my International 6 cylinder, 230 horsepower, 800 RPM Mobile Service vehicle. As you know, our job requires us to be out in all kinds of weather, at any time of the day and night to service vehicles, primarily trucks. While performing this service work we invariably leave our truck idling so we have a warm cab to go to in the winter or a cool one in the summer. Obviously this results in a lot of fuel being consumed during the idling time. In fact, on average, I have idled my truck approximately 22-2300 hours a year in the past. Although we get a break in fuel cost, because of quantity discounts, we still pay about $1.65/gallon for diesel fuel.

From October 2003 through the end of September, 2004 my AUTOTHERM hour meter has logged 1635 hours. In other words, I did not idle my truck 1635 hours last year when I normally would have because my T-2100 Energy Recovery System kept the inside of my cab warm in the winter and ambient in the summer without idling the engine. I reduced my annual idle time by over 70% with AUTOTHERM!!

My truck consumes between 1 and 1¼ gallons of fuel per hour when idling. With diesel at $1.65/gallon the unit saved at least $2700.00 of fuel expense alone for my company.

With an installed price of $500.00 or less the R.O.I on this unit was about 2 ¼ months.

Being a maintenance mechanic I also know that extensive idling is not good for an engine, so there is certainly some engine maintenance savings we realized that are not included in the R.O.I above.

From the time the initial installation of the T-2100 was completed the unit has functioned without a problem.
I would recommend this product to anyone who is in an industry that requires their vehicles to idle unnecessarily for any length of time.

Sincerely,
Dan Pasko
Mobile Maintenance Mechanic
Chicago International/IdeaLease
October 2003

In this time of rising fuel costs, any fuel saved can grow into a big savings.

Having almost 30 years in the Trucking Industry, I have seen many new ideas come along, some good, some bad. The industry has had its share of new and improved gimmicks to save fuel costs, extend oil change intervals, etc.

When Mr. Frank Perhats contacted me about installing Autotherm on trucks, at first I blew him off as another snake oil product salesman. I talked to him on the phone as he tried to convince me to have him show me his new product. During the past 18-34 months, I have worked with Frank in adapting his system, which has been in the automotive markets for a number of years, to Class 7 and 8 trucks. I have over this time suggested some changes to his system to try to keep it as simple as possible. All electrical connections of the system are inside the cab, protected from the weather and salt. The only connection outside the cab is at the epoxy-sealed pump with a weatherpak connector. The fan, the A/C clutch bypass and all relays fit into a small area in the cab.

I have installed this system in four of five different manufacturers’ vehicles in about two hours. As anyone in the business knows, if you can install the first one in two hours, additional installations should take less time as you gain experience.

Does it work?
I installed the first unit to please Frank. We pulled the truck outside on a 10° day with about a 20 mph wind. We ran the truck to operating temperature of 185° and shut it off. I turned on the AUTOTHERM and went off to eat lunch. When I returned an hour later, I found Frank sitting in the cab eating an apple without a jacket on. I was surprised. Two and ½ hours later, the Autotherm kicked off. A system that will keep a cab warm without running the engine and wasting fuel got my attention.

In this time of rising fuel costs, any fuel saved can grow into a big savings!

When I see idle times on trucks at 15% to 45% of total hours and multiply that by the amount of fuel used in one hour, I am convinced this system should save its cost and more in one winter.

The driver only needs to flip a switch one time in the fall and the automatic system will run on its own, only shutting off
automatically when the engine temperature drops below a certain setting or the battery voltage drops below a set limit.

I have worked with Frank on Autotherm over the past two years free of charge, although he did give me a unit for my pickup truck for the winter. If anyone has questions, feel free to contact me at the phone numbers given below and I will answer any questions you may have.

Sincerely,
Jim Prosen
J.P.& S. Truck Service

I am a Shop Supervisor for the Town of Scarborough Public Works Department, in Scarborough Maine.

Two years ago I was introduced to the AUTOTHERM System as a way to reduce unnecessary idling of fleet vehicles in a way to deal with the need in cold weather to keep the cab area of a car, light truck, or even a heavy truck warm while the driver may be away from the vehicle for an hour or a bit more. I initiated a pilot program that would test a Police Car, a Public Works Forman’s pick-up, and a Plow Truck. The units were shipped to me with every thing needed in the kit for a quick and easy installation. The kit also included a wiring diagram custom to the vehicle it was to be installed in.

The Pilot test worked out very well; we found that the units would maintain a warm cabin in all 3 applications with no complaints from any of the drivers.

After the 1st year of the trial I am now installing the unit in our new plow trucks as we get them before they go into service.

I suggested to the Rescue Department to consider them for their ambulance application when at the hospital, after dropping off patients and EMTs are doing paperwork for admitting, the ambulances could sit 45 to 60 minutes and start to cool down a great deal. This application has been well received.

Thank you for introducing your product to our applications, I intend on using many more in the future.

Jay Nason
Vehicle Maintenance Supervisor
Scarborough Public Works