Heating and cooling in small rooms
Single split system for overnight stays "on the road"
Düsseldorf625 motorway service stations on Germany's motorways and up to 120,000 trucks that need parking and overnight accommodation every night. This is a major shortage, which is further exacerbated by the new guidelines of the European Union's mobility package. For this reason, Roatel GmbH, together with the company Imbusch Einrichtungen, came up with the idea of a micro-hotel concept to provide relief and better rest periods for long-distance truck drivers. For the micro-hotel, shipping containers are converted into fully-fledged hotel rooms. This also created an important requirement for the rooms: an air conditioning unit was needed that was ideally suited to small spaces and could be used for both heating in the cold months and cooling in the warm months. For year-round air conditioning, the micro-apartments are therefore equipped with single-split air conditioning systems that also ensure reliable heating down to an outside temperature of -25 °C.
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- Heating and cooling with one climate control system
- Compact: Perfect for small spaces
- Thanks to its heat pump function, it is also suitable for independent heating.
- M-Series outdoor units and MSZ-AP wall-mounted units
Affordable, comfortable overnight accommodation for truckers
Overseas containers as hotelsA new type of accommodation near the highway
Accommodation options on Germany's highways are in short supply. Roatel GmbH, a company founded in Düsseldorf in 2019, wants to remedy this situation: "Roatel aims to create a new market segment in the area of high-quality yet affordable accommodation near highways, offering guests the greatest possible comfort in a small space at a reasonable price," the company says.
Overseas containers with small rooms
A container converted into a small hotel room: each Roatel container contains four high-quality single rooms, each with a shower room and toilet and fully equipped. Each room is equipped as standard with a comfortable bed, bench, and wardrobe and has a separate shower room with toilet. The rooms have electric shutters on the windows, are burglar-proof, and are monitored by cameras from the outside.
The European Union's Mobility Package 1
New EU regulationBetter living conditions for truck drivers
In order to improve the living conditions of drivers, the European Union has decided to reform Article 8 of EU Regulation No. 561/2006 (Mobility Package 1). As part of these new regulations in the area of posting professional drivers, Article 8 of the Regulation (EC) has been amended to stipulate that regular weekly rest periods may not be spent in the vehicle. The aforementioned rest periods must be spent in suitable, gender-appropriate accommodation with adequate sleeping facilities and sanitary facilities. The costs of this accommodation are to be borne by the employer.
Heating and cooling small rooms
Heating and coolingM-Series with heat pump function
The Mitsubishi Electric M-Series provided the ideal solution. In summer, the reversible air conditioning systems provide the necessary cooling, while in the cold season they provide pleasant warmth. "The Imbusch company was looking for a solution to air-condition four micro-hotel rooms in an overseas container all year round," explains Dirk Rauen, Key Account Manager at Mitsubishi Electric LES. "In response to the customer's request, we proposed several solutions with different system variants." After exploring the various options, the company decided to use single split systems from Mitsubishi Electric's M-Series.
Energy-efficient heating and cooling in the smallest of spaces
The M-Series achieves energy efficiency ratings of up to A+++/A++ in cooling and heating mode. For year-round operation, split technology can also be used for monovalent heating thanks to its heat pump function – i.e., without the support of other heating devices. Mitsubishi Electric's multi-split outdoor units in hyper-heating design are particularly interesting for this purpose. They ensure a nominal heating capacity of up to 100 % at an outside temperature of -15 °C and heating down to -25 °C. The ideal solution for small rooms.
Climate control for overseas containers all year round – with remote technology
Practical advantagesMEL Cloud makes control easy
One smart feature of the M series is MELCloud, which allows remote control of the air conditioning units. This can be accessed by the operator from anywhere. The standard integrated WiFi adapter on the M series air conditioning units for MELCloud ensures that all air conditioning systems can be operated individually via an app on a smartphone, tablet, or PC. With a live, scene, weekly, and seasonal timer, the application allows full flexibility in controlling the system. In addition, the operator has access to all devices at all times and can view error codes and temperatures for the last 30 days. Another practical feature is that the app provides a maintenance overview of the individual components, allowing service calls to be mobilized at short notice. Overnight guests at Roatel, on the other hand, can easily control the air conditioning via a local control on the wall.
Challenges and solutions for air conditioning in the smallest of spaces
Summary- Lack of accommodation for professional drivers: New requirements apply to German highways as a result of the EU's Mobility Pact 1.
- Roatel GmbH and Imbusch Einrichtungen GmbH have jointly implemented a concept for microhotels that enables drivers to enjoy a pleasant stay in the smallest of spaces.
- Pleasant climate in summer and winter: Rooms are heated and cooled with Mitsubishi Electric M-Series split air conditioning systems.
- The MSZ-AP wall-mounted unit is in use, which can also be controlled remotely via the MELCloud.
