CoolVan has won more than £500,000 of government funding to develop a super-efficient electric temperature-controlled van.

CoolVan will work in partnership with scientists from the University of Warwick, control systems specialists from Siemens and a leading refrigeration engineering company to develop a zero-emission fridge van

The refrigerated vehicle specialist will work in partnership with scientists from the University of Warwick, control systems specialists from Siemens and a leading refrigeration engineering company to develop a zero-emission fridge van for delivery of fresh food.

It’s one of 62 projects awarded a share of £20m from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) in partnership with Innovate UK. The research and development competition is intended to unlock some of the biggest barriers to EV ownership by providing ground-breaking solutions to battery health and charging for both urban and rural areas.

CoolVan managing director Chris Warburton said: “As UK cities seek to build back better and more sustainably post-pandemic, many are accelerating plans to restrict access to traditional internal combustion engine vehicles – presenting a serious challenge to the logistics and delivery industry.

“We have been trialling electric vehicles and low emission refrigeration systems for several years now and have built a number of prototype vehicles.

“The combination of additional funding and the opportunity to work with highly skilled and experienced partners such as Siemens and the University of Warwick will accelerate the delivery of a viable zero emissions refrigerated vehicle to operate safely in cities across the UK.”