Two sizes fit all: Black Rock's new APU targets different segments of truck market with choices of engine and generator size

As the issue of truck idling has taken on greater importance, there has been no shortage of players entering the market with new technologies. Some of the most significant growth has come in auxiliary power units (APU), which are essentially small generator sets, often packaged with heating and cooling units, mounted to a truck.

A new player in the market is Black Rock Systems LLC, Reno, Nev. The company was founded to develop APU technology for heavy-duty trucks. But what's a little different about the company's approach with its debut product is that it's more than a single APU. Instead, the Blackrock APU is available with two generator outputs ranging from 3.7 or 6 kW, driven by two- or three-cylinder Yanmar liquid-cooled diesel engines.

"For probably about 75% of the market, the two-cylinder is more than ample," said Steve Rovarino, vice president, sales and marketing at Black Rock Systems LLC. "It gives them all of the power they need. But for someone like a deluxe owner-operator who's in Arizona, he's better off with the three cylinder.

"For extreme operating environments or situations where there is more of a load than you'd usually see, the three-cylinder is really the answer."

The Blackrock APU was in development for approximately a year and a half and debuted at the Mid-America Trucking Show earlier this year. Both models are powered by Yanmar TNV diesel engines--the two-cylinder, 2TNV70 and the three-cylinder 3TNV70. The liquid-cooled engines share the same bore and stroke dimension (70 x 74 mm) and have standard ratings of 11.6 and 17.4 hp respectively at 2800 rpm. Both meet EPA Tier 2 and EU Stage 2 engine emissions standards, the company said.

Engine air filtration is through a Donaldson air cleaner and cooling is provided by an SRF America radiator with twin Spaal fans, which are matched to eliminate APU overheating even in the harshest conditions, according to the company. Rovarino said Black Rock "looked at the option of interfacing with the main truck systems," but ultimately decided that the more prudent course would be to make the APU completely self-contained. "If there would ever be a problem with the APU, you wouldn't want to have it take down the whole truck," he said. "That's why we felt that it was better to keep the systems separate. There are also sometimes warranty issues if you get into the truck engine's main systems."