Sunswap wins two TCS&D Awards as electric transport refrigeration scales

Two TCS&D Awards recognise Sunswap's progress in electric transport refrigeration

Sunswap has won two awards at the 2026 TCS&D Awards, recognising both our progress as a transport refrigeration manufacturer and the partnerships helping electric refrigeration move into everyday fleet operation.

Sunswap was named Transport Refrigeration Manufacturer of the Year, while our work with Chiltern Distribution and TIP Group was recognised with the Partnership Award.

The two awards reflect an important shift for electric transport refrigeration: from proving the technology to deploying it in daily commercial operations.

From first production to real-world operation

Being named Transport Refrigeration Manufacturer of the Year again is particularly significant because of how much has changed since Sunswap received the award in 2024.

At that point, the first Endurance units were preparing to hit the road. Today, Endurance is trusted in daily commercial operations with retailers, food producers and logistics operators in the UK and internationally.

The market has moved on too. Fleet operators are increasingly asking not whether electric refrigeration works, but how it fits across their routes and wider operations. They are looking for a smarter way to refrigerate without compromising performance.

Transport refrigeration has relied on diesel for decades. For fleet operators to change, a new solution needs to do more than reduce emissions. It must deliver the cooling performance, reliability, operational flexibility and visibility that temperature-controlled transport depends on.

That has shaped the way Sunswap developed Endurance. From the beginning, Endurance was built from the ground up as a single integrated system: battery-primary, solar-assisted and designed electric rather than converted from diesel. This means fewer components, fewer points of failure and a direct power path with no conversion losses.

Battery and solar power are combined with intelligent technology, with more than 1,000 data points captured per journey. This gives operators real-time visibility of temperature compliance, energy use and asset performance, helping them run the cold chain rather than react to it.

As Endurance has moved into commercial operation, its performance is increasingly being demonstrated through data gathered from real fleets, routes and operating conditions.

Partnership turns technology into adoption

Our second award, the Partnership Award with Chiltern Distribution Ltd, reflects another important step in making the transition away from diesel possible.

Chiltern operates across chilled, frozen, ambient and pharmaceutical transport, where temperature control, compliance and operational reliability are critical.

The relationship began with Chiltern testing Sunswap Endurance on real routes, demonstrating that the technology could deliver reliably and cost-effectively across its operations.

Following the initial trial, Chiltern committed to Endurance-equipped reefer trailers through TIP Group's long-term leasing programme. The leasing model gives operators another route to adopting electric transport refrigeration, moving from a successful trial into commercial deployment without requiring an outright capital purchase.

Together, the partnership shows how that transition can work in practice. Chiltern brought the operational requirements, Sunswap the technology and TIP a long-term hire model that supported the move into everyday fleet use.

Proving a different way is possible

For an industry built around proven equipment and demanding operating requirements, change has to be proven. That means demonstrating that electric refrigeration can maintain temperature, operate across demanding duty cycles, provide the operational data fleets need and integrate into established ways of working.

It also means giving operators different routes to adoption, from trials that allow them to test the technology in their own operations to leasing models that remove the need for significant upfront capital investment. Chiltern has put Endurance through that test in its own operation and moved from trial to deployment. That’s the kind of progress we want to keep building on.

Michael Lowe, CEO and co-founder of Sunswap, said:

"Winning these two awards is important because they reinforce both sides of what we are trying to achieve.

"Manufacturer of the Year recognises the technology and the work our team has put into creating a viable alternative to diesel refrigeration. The Partnership Award demonstrates what happens when that technology gets into the hands of operators and partners and starts delivering in real commercial fleets.

"We've always believed fleet operators shouldn't have to compromise on performance to move away from diesel.” Chiltern has put Endurance through that test in its own operation and moved from trial to deployment. That’s the kind of progress we want to keep building on.”

Brian Sagaseta, CEO, Chiltern Distribution Ltd commented:

"Winning the Partnership Award is something we are incredibly proud of at Chiltern. What makes it particularly special is that this journey started over two years ago with some early conversations between ourselves and Sunswap about how we could make refrigerated transport more sustainable without compromising the service and reliability our customers depend on.

From the outset, this has been much more than a traditional customer and supplier relationship. We were prepared to put new technology into real world operations and challenge it in demanding conditions, while Sunswap and each of the partners brought their own expertise, innovation and commitment to making the project work.

To now see the technology operating successfully within our fleet, and for the partnership behind it to receive industry recognition, is a very proud moment. It shows what can be achieved when businesses work together with trust, openness and a genuine willingness to innovate.

A huge thank you to everyone at Sunswap, SOR Iberica, Reefer Trailer Centre and TIP Group who has played a part in getting us to this point. We are excited to see where the partnership takes us next."

Bob Forde, Account Manager, TIP Group said:

"We're incredibly proud to have contributed to this partnership, which demonstrates what can be achieved, not only through close collaboration between multiple partners, but through a flexible approach to providing the solution our customer needed.

By supporting Chiltern with a long-term leasing, maintenance and repair solution, TIP has helped turn a successful trial into a commercially viable operation, while removing the need for significant upfront capital investment. It's a great example of a partnership helping to accelerate the transition to lower-emission transport."

The TCS&D Awards celebrate innovation and excellence across the temperature-controlled storage and distribution sector, with the Partnership Award specifically recognising organisations working together to create innovative products and services for the cold chain.

To everyone at Sunswap, Chiltern Distribution, TIP Group, SOR and the wider team involved in getting Endurance onto the road: thank you.