DFDS uses Sunswap electric fridges

Peterborough, UK: DFDS has added 10 Sunswap electric fridges to its fleet. The Sunswap refrigeration system was trialled by DFDS in 2022. It uses a combination of solar and battery power and trials showed that on one of DFDS’s longest routes the systems can provide 22 hours of cooling on a single charge over two days.
 
Depending on conditions, the solar panels can typically provide 65 to 100% of the charge needed to operate the refrigeration unit, significantly reducing reliance on grid charging and costs. The average time to fully charge the TRU is 80 minutes.
 
Matt O’Dell, managing director of logistics, England, DFDS, said: “The Sunswap trailers provide a huge opportunity for us to reduce the carbon footprint of our operations and further strengthen our offering to customers. Our team has worked closely with Sunswap on this project and I’m very proud of all the hard work that has gone in to seeing the trailers arrive at our Peterborough depot ready for service.

“DFDS has ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We aim to achieve a 75% reduction in CO2e emissions intensity by 2030 and to be net zero by 2050, and so introducing the Sunswap trailers to our UK fleet is an exciting part of that. I believe it will be a shift away from legacy diesel technology for cold storage transport.”

Michael Lowe, chief executive, Sunswap said: “This is a defining moment for Sunswap and sustainable transport refrigeration. After five years of engineering innovation and extensive trials, seeing the first Sunswap units enter full-time service with DFDS marks the beginning of diesel-free cold chain operations at scale. DFDS has shown true industry leadership by being first to adopt this technology.”