Sono Motors announced it is expanding its solar business by entering the refrigerated trailer market with its Sono Solar Technology.

The expansion aims to further reduce global fossil fuel emissions.

The company signed a purchase contract with The Reefer Group, extending the number of total partners of Sono Motors’ Solar business unit to more than 17 worldwide.

As part of this collaboration, the companies will build a first trailer vehicle with the Reefer Group’s French subsidiary Chereau for testing to further evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of integrating a customized solar solution for a high-volume series vehicle.

“This partnership is a huge step for Sono Motors, since we open up a completely new industry for our highly flexible and proprietary Sono Solar technology," said Laurin Hahn, co-founder/CEO of Sono Motors. "We offer a lightweight and adaptable platform that is ideal for refrigerated trailers and allows customers in the transportation industry to cut costs and emissions throughout their fleet. We are very pleased for the opportunity to collaborate with such a respected industry partner like Chereau and to be able to work with them towards creating a more sustainable future. We look forward to all the opportunities that this partnership can create."

The solar integration will provide the trailer’s cooling unit with an additional 9.8 kW peak, offering possible fuel savings of approximately 3,416 liters (up to 8,475 under peak conditions).

“The solar integration solutions provided by Sono Motors are the perfect fit for our trailers," said Damien Destremau, CEO at The Reefer Group and Chereau. "We are pleased to be able to work with Sono Motors to create the future prototype that will be part of our demo fleet of sustainable reefer trailers. This is a big step towards making commercial mobility more sustainable and reducing emissions."