Bannister Transport: The First Fully Electric Refrigerated Fleet
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The Breakthrough
Bannister Transport is removing every single diesel refrigeration unit from their operations, creating the world’s first fully electric refrigerated trailer fleet. All 40 trailers. Zero diesel. Zero emissions.
The countdown to removing the last diesel refrigeration unit from the Bannister fleet has now begun, with each new Sunswap delivery bringing the company closer to its sustainability goals. When complete, this fleet transformation will eliminate 1,760 tonnes of CO2 and 13,600 kg of harmful NOx pollutants over the lifetime of the units - equivalent to removing 419 cars from the road.
This shows fleet electrification works at a commercial scale and operators are ready to adopt.
The Challenge That Started It All
Bannister Transport, established in 1965 in the Vale of Evesham, built their reputation on reliable temperature-controlled logistics to supermarkets. But 10 years ago their Managing Director, Tom Owens saw the writing on the wall: the future was not in diesel and customers were increasingly demanding partners with strong environmental credentials.
Tom explained, ""For me, sustainability is a no brainer. It offers the chance to reduce CO2 emissions, which is obviously good for the environment. But there are also maintenance and operational benefits and efficiencies that come with that. Plus, our customers want us to reduce emissions."
How Sunswap Delivered
Bannister Transport started with a trial putting Sunswap's Endurance through real-world conditions across their chilled delivery operations.
The 2-week trial provided all the evidence they needed. Reliable temperature control for their chilled operations, while also highlighting the potential that the Bannister Transport fleet will be able to run 80-85% of the time from solar energy.
The trial results led Tom Owens to a bigger realisation. As he put it, "People have said to me that 'Oh, isn't it a risk that you're going for an electric fridge? The technology's unproven.' And I find that a really interesting comment because we all have an electric fridge in our homes. I think the technology is more than proven. Wouldn't it be ridiculous if we all stuck a diesel engine on the back of our fridges in the kitchen? So for me, it's not a risk. It's just a logical thing to do."
The logic was simple, "Why would you want to burn diesel when you can have clean energy that you generate yourself to operate a much quieter fridge that requires less maintenance?" If the technology worked perfectly in trials, delivered all the operational and environmental benefits they needed, and their customers wanted it - why stop at partial conversion?
So they committed to the complete fleet transformation - starting summer 2024 with full conversion planned by September 2025. The countdown to removing the last diesel refrigeration unit from the Bannister fleet has now begun, with each new Sunswap delivery marking another step toward becoming the UK's first fully electric refrigerated fleet.
What This Proves About Scale
Bannister Transport are proving that complete electrification of temperature-controlled fleets is a practical reality today.
As Tom Owens put it: "The performance of the Sunswap units already in operation has exceeded our expectations in terms of reliability, run time and cost savings. We're seeing clear evidence that this technology can deliver on its promise."
"Our move to zero emission technology has driven a lot of interest in the business... The concept of the diesel-free trailers has been welcomed really well by customers."
Their systematic approach - replacing diesel units one by one until the entire fleet is electric - creates a roadmap other companies can follow. "For temperature-controlled logistics operators, the future is clearly electric, and we're proud to be leading this transition," Tom noted.
The Key Facts
The Scale Achievement:
- UK's first fully electric refrigerated fleet (40 trailers)
- Complete diesel elimination by September 2026
- 100% Sunswap fleet when complete
Environmental Impact (40 units, 10 years):
- 1,760 tonnes CO2 eliminated
- 13,600 kg NOx pollutants removed
- Equivalent to removing 419 cars from the road
Operational Performance:
- 80-85% solar energy operation across the fleet
- Zero performance compromises during trials
- Exceeded expectations for reliability and runtime
Transport Your Fleet Into the Future, Today
Move beyond diesel with our proven electric transport refrigeration, trusted by leading UK and European transport operators and retailers.
