Hong Kong PolyU teams up with Sunlight Eco-tech to make solar-powered freezer lorries
- A single fuel-driven truck emits 16 tonnes of carbon annually, and to offset these emissions, about 760 trees need to be planted, PolyU research shows
The plan to sell 1,000 units over three years comes on the heels of a one-year research project conducted by the PolyU team.
“We aspire for this research project to take a leading role in encouraging the transport sector to embrace green technologies more readily and contribute more to reducing emissions and achieving carbon neutrality,” said Eric Cheng, professor of the department of electrical and electronic engineering at PolyU at the launch event on Thursday afternoon.
The vehicle, which comprises a solar-powered freezer system and features a vehicle-connected power storage and sharing technology, will require just six months to start paying for itself as the truck owners avoid hefty fuel bills, said Eric Mak, CEO of Sunlight Eco-tech, a sponsor of the project and supplier of the lorry’s solar panels.
“We hope to roll-out the first vehicle for sale in around four months,” said Mak at the launch event. “We also plan to sell 1,000 units in Hong Kong in three years. We will also introduce our solar-powered freezer truck to the market in Australia.”
The project is aimed at promoting the transformation from traditional fuel-driven freezer systems to smart electric-driven systems, as well as strengthening the wider adoption of solar energy. The project received over HK$4.9 million in funding from the government’s Innovation and Technology Fund last June, according to the fund’s website.
