Sono Motors cooperates with Chereau
Together, the companies want to equip the cooling of truck trailers with solar technology. They want to present an initial prototype this year.
Sono Motors is best known for its solar-powered car, the Sion. However, the Munich-based start-up's solar technology can also be used for other vehicles - such as refrigerated trailers. Together with Chereau, the French subsidiary of The Reefer Group, Sono Motors now wants to equip these refrigerated trailers for trucks with solar technology.
According to the start-up's calculations, solar cells could supply the refrigerated trailers with an additional 9.8 kilowatt peak. This would save around 3,400 liters of fuel, as the refrigeration is normally diesel-powered. Transport companies could save around nine tons of CO2 per vehicle per year with the solar refrigerated trailers. If the start-up's calculations work out, the transportation of frozen food, fast food and medical products would become more sustainable. Although the production of the solar trailer also causes emissions of around 6.5 tons of CO2, these are already offset after a service life of less than a year.
To test the technology, Sono Motors wants to equip the roof and side surfaces of a Chereau refrigerated trailer with solar modules. These are to cover a total area of 58.9 square meters. Both companies plan to present the prototype at the IAA Transportation in Hanover this year. Chereau and Sono Motors would then like to test the first trailer in a field trial lasting several months with a customer in France to verify the CO2 savings figures, for example.
"This partnership is a big step for Sono Motors as it opens up a whole new industry for the use of our extremely flexible, proprietary Sono Solar technology," says Sono Motors co-founder and CEO Laurin Hahn. "We offer a lightweight and customizable platform that is ideal for use in refrigerated trailers." The collaboration with Chereau is already the 17th partnership for the start-up. Other partners include MAN, Easymile and Münchner Verkehrsgesellschaft.
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