CEFC invests $10 million to accelerate electric refrigeration across Australian fleets

18 May 2026

The CEFC has committed up to $10 million to drive the introduction of low-emissions electric transport refrigeration in Australia to cut diesel use and reduce emissions across the cold chain logistics sector.

Sunswap's fully electric, solar-assisted refrigeration units, called Endurance, are designed to replace diesel powered units commonly fitted to refrigerated trailers. These systems are a critical component of Australia’s food and pharmaceutical supply chains.

The CEFC investment comes through the Powering Australia Technology Fund to accelerate the availability of this technology in Australia by addressing a key barrier to adoption: the upfront costs of manufacturing and importing advanced refrigeration units.

Transport refrigeration is critical to Australia's food and pharmaceutical supply chains. Supporting proven electric alternatives enables emissions reductions, improved air quality and lower operating costs for Australian businesses.

Malcolm Thornton

CEFC Head of Growth Capital

The CEFC investment will support the deployment of more than 100 Sunswap Endurance units across the Australian refrigeration retail and logistics fleets, building on existing deployments with local Australian distribution partner, Protran Solutions.

The technology has already demonstrated strong performance in Australian conditions, including a three-day trial 1,671 km route between Sydney and Brisbane without the need for en route charging, finishing with 62 per cent battery remaining. High solar contribution, particularly given Australia’s climate, is expected to play a key role in reducing electricity demand and operating costs.

CEFC Head of Growth Capital, Malcolm Thornton said: "Transport refrigeration is critical to Australia's food and pharmaceutical supply chains. Supporting proven electric alternatives enables emissions reductions, improved air quality and lower operating costs for Australian businesses.”

Sunswap CEO and Co-founder, Michael Lowe, said: "Cold chain logistics has relied on diesel-powered refrigeration for decades. The load stays cold, but everything else - the fuel cost, high maintenance, limited operational insights - has been accepted as the price of doing business. We built Endurance to change that calculation. Today, we are relied on by major fleets and retailers across Europe and South America. The CEFC investment puts more units on Australian roads, giving operators access to electric refrigeration that cuts operating costs, handles Australian distances, and comes with the service infrastructure to back it up."

Protran Solutions General Manager, Grant Turner said: “Australian refrigerated transport has put up with diesel’s costs and limitations for too long, not because operators wanted to, but because there simply wasn’t a credible alternative. Sunswap changes that. The Sydney to Brisbane trial run without recharging it’s shows the technology actually performed in Australian conditions. This investment puts more of that capability on Australian roads, and I genuinely believe it’s the beginning of a significant shift for this industry”.

Australia represents a significant opportunity for electrifying transport refrigeration, with cold chain logistics estimated at up to US$5 billion¹ in 2025.

Transport is Australia's third largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for around 22 per cent of the nation's total emissions², with heavy vehicles a significant and hard-to-abate contributor.

1 Australia cold chain logistics market size, share, trends and forecast by type.

2 DCCEEW, Reducing Transport Emissions.