Sono Solar wins European Transport Prize for Sustainability 2026 for solar-powered refrigerated vehicle solution
Key takeaways
- Sono Solar wins European Transport Prize for Sustainability 2026 for its solar-powered refrigerated vehicle solution.
- Sono Solar’s system powers refrigeration and auxiliary systems, reducing CO₂, extending range, and lowering fleet costs.
- Its modular, vehicle-agnostic design allows integration on new and existing trucks, trailers, vans, and buses.
Sono Group N.V. subsidiary Sono Solar was recently awarded the European Transport Prize for Sustainability 2026 for its solar solution for refrigerated vehicles. The company, which develops and integrates solar technology for commercial vehicles, was recognized for its system that powers refrigeration units and auxiliary consumers directly on the vehicle.
Sono Solar designed the system with automotive-grade solar modules and a high-voltage solar charging architecture. This enables vehicles to reduce CO₂ emissions, improve range, and lower the total cost of ownership without requiring changes to driving behavior or charging infrastructure.
The award, presented by the trade journal TRANSPORT and published by HUSS-VERLAG, honors products and concepts that combine environmental and climate protection with economic efficiency and social responsibility in the commercial vehicle and logistics sector. Sono Solar received the prize in the category “Energy Supply & Charging Infrastructure for Commercial Vehicles.”
Sono Solar showcased its solution alongside major OEMs, including Daimler Truck, MAN, Scania, Krone, Schmitz Cargobull, and Trailer Dynamics, signaling the growing acceptance of integrated solar technology in commercial fleets. The company is working with OEMs, fleet operators, and bodybuilders to integrate solar as a standard energy source across a variety of vehicles, including vans, trailers, coaches, and city buses.
“This award is a clear signal from the industry that solar is becoming a structural part of how commercial fleets decarbonize and manage costs,” said George O’Leary, managing director of Sono Group N.V. “Being recognized in 'Energy Supply & Charging Infrastructure for Commercial Vehicles' confirms that our technology is viewed as a scalable building block in that transition. It also supports our view that Sono is operating in a part of the transport value chain where long-term regulatory and economic trends are working in the same direction.”
