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Sunswap brings manufacturing in-house at headquarters in Leatherhead, near London, following a successful fundraising round. Offering solar and battery-powered refrigeration for transport, the UK business has international ambitions. Solar and battery-powered refrigeration business Sunswap has opened a new manufacturing facility at its UK headquarters in Leatherhead, near London, following a successful Series B fundraising round. Ben Fielden, marketing manager at Sunswap, told pv magazine the move has brought key assembly processes in-house for the first time. “We have been manufacturing at this site with the first unit deliveries in November 2024. In January 2025 we expanded this facility – this has created 75 new manufacturing jobs. This expansion significantly increases our capacity to meet growing customer demand,” he said. Founded in 2020, Sunswap secured GBP 17.3 million ($21.1 million) in its latest funding round and is backed by investors including BGF, Shell Ventures, Barclays and Clean Growth Fund. The company has trialed its Endurance product with major haulage businesses including the United Kingdom’s largest grocery retailer, Tesco, and dairy giant Müller. Endurance is a transport refrigeration unit (TRU) that combines battery storage with solar modules to replace the diesel units typically used to power transport refrigeration. The TRU is fully manufactured by Sunswap, Fielden said, adding that it is designed to be mounted on “any brand of trailer.” “This is not a retrofit solution but rather a direct replacement of diesel units. This approach allows us to optimize the entire system for maximum efficiency and performance,” he said. Endurance units can operate for 24 hours on a single charge when hauling frozen goods and up to two months for chilled goods, according to Sunswap, with vehicle-integrated solar acting as a range extender. The company offers a modular battery system with options ranging from 32 kWh to 72 kWh. Following the successful fundraising round and expanded manufacturing capabilities, Sunswap is eyeing expansion in the UK market and abroad, with Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg (BENELUX) a starting point for EU expansion. “The European market is a key focus, particularly following our recent partnership with [transportation and logistics business] TIP Group in BENELUX who operate across 18 countries,” said Fielden. “Our expanded manufacturing capability in Leatherhead supports this growth while maintaining high-quality standards as we expand into new markets.” Further deployment announcements with UK food producers Samworth Brothers, Staples Vegetables and Cranswick are expected in the coming months. Sunswap is not the first company to offer a decarbonization solution for transport refrigeration, hybrid solutions have been available on the market for some time. Sunswap argues its Endurance system stands apart due to its fully electric approach. Endurance operates independently of the vehicles powertrain, a design choice that Sunswap claims is more efficient than hybrid systems, which rely on power from a truck’s engine or an auxiliary diesel motor for backup. Fielden said this results in simpler maintenance, reduced weight “in most configurations” and zero tailpipe emissions. The Sunswap marketing manager added that customer trials consistently show a 35% reduction in total cost of ownership when compared to diesel units over a 10-year period, with operating costs 90% lower than diesel equivalents due to eliminated fuel costs and reduced maintenance. |
