Solar-powered transportation company Sono Motors has announced it will co-produce a 58.9 m2 solar-paneled refrigerator trailer with French refrigerator manufacturer Chereau.
Chereau, a subsidiary of the European Reefer Group, will build a trailer for comprehensive testing to further evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of integrating a custom solar solution for a high-volume production vehicle.
Sono Motors will equip the roof and sides of the existing Chereau 54 trailer with solar modules using the VaPV (vehicle photovoltaic system) process, which was developed specifically for use in trucks. The solar energy will be used to run the cooling unit by charging the battery.
The integration of solar power will provide the trailer’s cooling unit with an additional 9.8 kW of peak power, providing a possible fuel savings of approximately 3,400 liters (up to 8,475 in peak conditions).
The trailer’s scheduled premiere at IAA Transportation 2022 in Hannover in September will be followed by several months of intensive field testing by Chereau’s customer in France. Part of the testing process is verification of energy revenue and fuel economy figures, which are based on internal calculations, including assumptions about weather and system efficiency.
“This partnership is a huge step for Sono Motors as we open up a whole new industry for our highly flexible and patented Sono Solar technology. We offer a lightweight and adaptable platform that is ideal for refrigerated trailers and allows customers in the transportation industry to reduce costs and emissions across their fleets,” said Lorin Hahn, co-founder and CEO of Sono Motors.
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