Autotherm

What Autotherm does

Autotherm is a division of Enthal Systems, Inc., founded in 1974 and headquartered in Lake Zurich, Illinois. The company designs, manufactures, and sells the Energy Recovery System (ERS), a vehicle heat-recovery product that captures waste heat from the engine and exhaust via a coolant-loop heat exchanger and circulates warm fluid to the cabin and engine block. This allows drivers to shut down the engine while retaining cabin and engine warmth, with the pump consuming roughly 1/100 the horsepower of an engine block heater versus the 200–500 HP required to idle. The product line spans 12V and 24V variants priced between approximately $205 and $605, sold as one-time hardware purchases with optional add-ons such as the Sleeper Kit.

Autotherm's customer base spans commercial long-haul trucking, law enforcement (its original market, with tens of thousands of historical police-car installations), military, construction, agricultural, limousine/chauffeured transportation, and municipal fleets. Named customers include Alvan Motor Freight (40-truck deployment), Chicago International/IdeaLease, the Town of Scarborough, Naperville Chauffeuring, and individual owner-operators such as Richard Martinez. Go-to-market combines a dealer network with direct and website sales. The company cites a U.S. long-distance trucking opportunity of 400,000–500,000 vehicles and approximately 3.18 billion gallons of fuel wasted annually through idling, framing the ERS as a payback-driven fuel- and emissions-saving product.

The business model is a straightforward one-time hardware sale with no disclosed recurring software, service, or subscription component. There is no app, no API, no telematics integration, and no AI/ML capability referenced anywhere in the product or operating model. Revenue, headcount, and growth rates are not disclosed; the company is private and has operated as a small niche business for roughly five decades. Strategic activity has been episodic rather than venture-style, with the most material moves being the 2001 entry into commercial trucking, the 2007 'Get Green' repositioning, and the 2010 launch of the 24V line for military, construction, agricultural, and European markets.

Name

Autotherm

Legal name

Autotherm Energy Systems, Inc.

Website

https://autothermusa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Autotherm, a division of Enthal Systems, Inc., designs and manufactures vehicle heat recovery systems (ERS) that eliminate engine idling for cabin heating, serving trucking, law enforcement, military, limousine, and municipal fleets at price points of $205–$605.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Truck Idling Reduction Equipment

NAICS

Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (33341), Air-Conditioning and Warm Air Heating Equipment and Commercial and Industrial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (333415)

SIC

Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585), Pumps & Pumping Equipment (3561)

akta.pro primary industry

Automotive PTC Heaters, Heat Pumps & Auxiliary Heating Systems (IMACALAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Automotive Coolant & Refrigerant Circuit Components (Pumps/Valves/Reservoirs/Expansion Devices) (IMACALAE)

Keywords

• No-idle heating systems
• Energy recovery equipment
• Truck idle reduction
• Vehicle cab heaters
• Fleet fuel savings

Headquarters

HQ city

Lake Zurich

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales - Energy Recovery Systems: Autotherm generates revenue through one-time hardware sales of its Energy Recovery System products. Customers purchase the complete kit (Standard or Deluxe) or individual components (pumps, CCU units, upgrade kits) upfront. The company sells directly to fleet operators, owner-operators, and through dealer networks.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Autotherm designs, manufactures, and sells the AUTOTHERM Energy Recovery System (ERS), a no-idle vehicle interior heating hardware solution that recovers waste heat from engine coolant to keep cabs warm when the engine is off. The product line includes Standard and Deluxe Kits (T-3015 / T-3015D), replacement pumps, and upgrade kits for 12V and 24V commercial vehicles, owner-operators, law enforcement, and military equipment.

Product overview

Autotherm offers a portfolio of Energy Recovery System (ERS) products designed to eliminate vehicle idling by recovering waste heat from the engine coolant. The system consists of three main components: a magnetically coupled pump installed in the engine coolant hose, a Central Control Unit (CCU) installed under the dash, and an indicator panel/switch on the dashboard. The product lineup includes the Standard Kit (T-3015) and Deluxe Kit (T-3015D) for 12V/24V vehicles, replacement 7D007 pumps, and upgrade kits for pre-2015 installations. The Deluxe Kit adds an hourmeter to the Standard Kit configuration. These products work together to provide no-idle interior heating for commercial trucks, limousines, school buses, and fleet vehicles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AUTOTHERM® ERS (Energy Recovery System): No-idle vehicle interior heating and ventilating system that recovers waste heat from the engine cooling system to keep vehicles warm without running the engine.

Products and services

• Standard Kit 12V/24V (Model T-3015)

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces idle time by over 70%
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered foundational, notable, reference customer and expansion.

• U.S. Department of EnergyfoundationalOthers · 1 April 2010Autotherm was an early recipient of an Inventions & Innovations Development Grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. The DOE later requested the company to develop a system for use on commercial vehicles. This early government support helped establish the technology.
• Clean Energy Coalition (CEC)notableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 December 2006The Clean Energy Coalition helped Alvan Motor Freight secure a grant from the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth, Energy Office to install Autotherm ERS on 40 trucks. CEC acted as an intermediary helping fleet operators access funding for idle-reduction technology.
• Alvan Motor Freightreference customerImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 14 December 2006Alvan Motor Freight installed Autotherm ERS on 40 trucks covering Washtenaw County, Michigan. This installation was facilitated through a grant secured by Clean Energy Coalition, demonstrating successful deployment in commercial fleet operations.
• 24V Equipment ManufacturersexpansionTechnology or IntegrationAutotherm developed 24-volt versions of the ERS specifically for military, construction and agricultural equipment and European trucks. This expansion into 24V markets requires integration compatibility with equipment from various manufacturers.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Hotstart: Manufacturer of engine coolant heaters and thermal management systems for diesel engines, locomotives, and heavy equipment. Competitor in the coolant-based heating category that serves many of the same commercial and industrial vehicle segments as Autotherm.
• ZeroStart (Phillips & Temro): Brand of coolant and engine heaters used to keep commercial vehicle engines warm in cold weather. Competes with Autotherm in the engine-coolant-based thermal management category for trucks and commercial fleets.
• Eberspächer: Major German supplier of vehicle heaters and exhaust technology, including its Hydronic coolant-based parking heaters that compete head-to-head with Autotherm's ERS for commercial truck and specialty-vehicle idle-reduction applications.
• Webasto: Global manufacturer of parking heaters, auxiliary cabin heaters, and thermal management solutions for commercial vehicles. Webasto competes directly with Autotherm in the no-idle heating category, particularly for trucks and specialty vehicles in North America and Europe.
• Proheat (Counteract): Manufacturer of diesel coolant heaters and idling-reduction systems for heavy-duty trucks. Directly comparable to Autotherm in the diesel-cooled, no-idle commercial trucking sector.
• Espar Heaters (now part of Eberspächer): Legacy air and coolant heaters for trucks and commercial vehicles, now consolidated under Eberspächer. Espar historically competed with Autotherm in diesel-fueled parking and coolant heaters for the same fleet customers.
• Phillips & Temro Industries: Manufacturer of idle-reduction and thermal management products for trucks, including engine coolant heaters, immersion heaters, and EV pre-heaters. Directly competes with Autotherm in the commercial vehicle idle-reduction category.
• Bergstrom (Bergstrom Inc.): Supplier of no-idle HVAC systems for commercial trucks, including battery-powered A/C and heating solutions that compete directly with Autotherm's ERS for the same anti-idling value proposition.

Broad incumbents

• Dometic: Supplier of HVAC and climate-control systems for commercial vehicles, RVs, and specialty transport. Dometic's broader portfolio overlaps with Autotherm's no-idle cabin heating use case for trucks, buses, and limousines.
• Thermo King: Trane Technologies brand specializing in transport temperature control and truck HVAC. While focused on refrigeration, Thermo King's broader truck climate-control portfolio overlaps with Autotherm's cab heating use case for commercial fleets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Autotherm