Electric van decarbonises cold chain logistics

A project involving three organisations successfully created an zero-emission temperature-controlled van for cold chain logistics.

The transition towards decarbonisation in logistics is challenging for a number of reasons, but particularly for the cold chain sector. Refrigerated vans are essential for keeping food and medicine fresh as it is transported, but diesel-powered models are traditionally relied on to move these goods.

The Cit-E-Van project, which was funded by Innovate UK, brought together CoolVan, a UK manufacturer of refrigerated vehicles based in Lancashire, Warwick Manufacturing Group and GAH Refrigeration to develop a zero-emission, fully electric refrigerated van.

The goal was to create a model that could deliver reliable cooling performance without the environmental cost, combining research, technical innovation and industry experience to achieve this.

WMG’s Zero Emissions Transport Applications Group provided expertise in electrification, energy management and digital engineering, using advanced simulation and real-time testing platforms to accelerate the design process.

The team modelled the vehicle’s thermal performance and optimised the cooling system using model-based predictive control which ensured temperature stability while minimising energy use.

The project resulted in the development of a fully electric, zero-emission alternative to traditional diesel-powered refrigeration units, achieving an 86% reduction in carbon emissions, a 35% reduction in energy use and a 32% drop in annual running costs compared to diesel models.

It demonstrated that sustainable refrigerated transport is possible without compromising performance and how electrification and digital engineering can deliver cleaner and more efficient logistics.

Building on this success, WMG and CoolVan continue to develop electric refrigerated vehicle technologies through Innovate UK and APC-funded projects.