Sunswap, a UK clean-tech startup decarbonising cold chain logistics, has today announced that leading transportation services business, DFDS, has ordered the first 10 of its zero-emission ‘Endurance’ transport refrigeration units (TRUs).  DFDS recognised the enormous potential of Sunswap’s technology and committed to ordering the first 10 of the firm’s Endurance units to be manufactured in Surrey, UK.  The order marks the official commercial launch of Sunswap’s technology into the global cold-chain market.

Sunswap Endurance combines battery and solar panels mounted on refrigerated trailers to keep temperature controlled goods cold during transport. This zero-emission system replaces traditional diesel-powered transport refrigeration units, offering a sustainable solution for cold chain, while ensuring a range of consumer products – from foodstuffs to pharmaceuticals – stay within critical temperature bands.

The order follows a highly successful trial process DFDS undertook with Sunswap in 2022, which demonstrated that with 10 Endurance solar and battery TRUs on fleet, DFDS could remove 895 tonnes of CO2 and save around 500,000 litres of diesel fuel over a ten-year unit lifetime, compared with a traditional TRU.  The trials also indicated that on one of DFDS’s longer routes, 22 hours of cooling could be provided from one full charge – typically taking 80 minutes – of the TRU battery unit.

Based on findings from the earlier trials, DFDS established that switching to Sunswap Endurance would save 71% of the operating costs compared to running a diesel refrigeration unit. This amounts to a 13% saving in total cost of ownership – making solar and battery electric power a more sustainable and commercially viable option.

The partnership between Sunswap and DFDS comes at a crucial time, as the transport sector faces increasing regulatory pressure and growing consumer demand for more sustainable logistics.   By investing in low carbon technology DFDS is positioning itself at the forefront of more sustainable cold chain logistics, setting a new standard for the industry and paving the way for a cleaner, more environmentally responsible future in refrigerated transport.

Depending on conditions, the trailer-top mounted solar panels can typically provide 65 to 100% of the charge needed to operate the refrigeration unit, significantly reducing reliance on grid charging.

Matt O’Dell, Managing Director of Cold Chain, UK & Ireland at 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 CO2 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, CEO of Sunswap commented: “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.”

“As we begin to fulfil subsequent orders from our production line in Leatherhead, we look forward to supporting major European retailers and logistics operators in decarbonising their cold-chain operations.”