Dover, UK: DFDS is to expand the use of Sunswap solar power for refrigerated trailers.
The move follows a trial of Sunswap’s solar and battery powered system that provides 22 hours of cooling on a single charge.
In the DFDS trial, the Sunswap system used a combination of solar and battery power for frozen produce in the UK.
On one of DFDS’s longest routes, the system provided 22 hours of frozen cooling on a single charge over two days. Depending on conditions, the solar panels can typically provide 65% to all the charge needed to operate the fridge.
Average time to fully charge the batteries was 80 minutes.
The trial indicated that over ten-years, using Sunswap would give a 25% to 35% saving in comparison to operating a diesel fridge.
Matt O’Dell, UK managing director, cold chain, DFDS Logistics Services, said: “Finding innovative solutions to reduce emissions while improving our customer offering is a top priority for our cold chain service and DFDS as a whole. That said, we’re very excited about the potential of Sunswap who offer the only purpose built fully electric transport refrigerated unit on the market.
“Earlier this year we trialled a unit in our UK operation. We are thrilled with the results of the trial and excited to integrate Sunswap zero-emission TRUs into our fleet, which should enter our service within the next year. This is a significant step in building our capability to achieve climate neutrality.”
“DFDS is pioneering new green technologies throughout its operations, in line with a commitment to reduce emissions by 45 percent by 2030 and to ultimately achieve climate neutrality as an organisation.”
A video of the trial results with DFDS and Gist is available here.
