Sunswap recently won two 2026 Temperature Controlled Storage & Distribution (TCS&D) Awards recognizing its transport refrigeration technology and partnerships supporting electric refrigeration deployments. The company was named Transport Refrigeration Manufacturer of the Year and received the Partnership Award with Chiltern Distribution and TIP Group.

The Transport Refrigeration Manufacturer of the Year award recognizes Sunswap's Endurance system, which has moved from initial production into daily commercial operations with retailers, food producers, and logistics operators in the UK and internationally.

Endurance was designed as a single integrated system that is battery-primary, solar-assisted, and electric rather than converted from diesel. Its intelligent technology captures more than 1,000 data points per journey, providing visibility into temperature compliance, energy use, and asset performance.

Sunswap's Partnership Award with Chiltern Distribution and TIP Group recognizes the deployment of Endurance in Chiltern's operations. Chiltern operates chilled, frozen, ambient, and pharmaceutical transport, and initially tested Endurance on real routes before committing to Endurance-equipped reefer trailers through TIP Group's long-term leasing program.

The leasing model provides an alternative to an outright capital purchase, allowing Chiltern to move from testing the technology to commercial deployment. The partnership brought together Chiltern's operational requirements, Sunswap's technology, and TIP Group's long-term leasing, maintenance and repair support.

“Winning these two awards is important because they reinforce both sides of what we are trying to achieve,” said Michael Lowe, CEO and co-founder of Sunswap. “Manufacturer of the Year recognizes 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.”

What this means for the trucking industry

For temperature-controlled fleets, the Chiltern deployment provides an example of how electric refrigeration can move from a trial into regular commercial operations. The combination of real-world testing and long-term leasing also gives fleet operators another potential path to adopting electric refrigeration without an outright equipment purchase.